Poor Investments
by LoadofGiggles
Summary: It's impossible for Kakuzu to make a bad business decision, correct? Sachi, addicted to gambling and a little worse for wear, finds herself in the company of the "Zombie Combo" for some unexpected lessons, in savings & in love. M for Hidan!
1. I hate to hear that

Hey, Giggles here. This is my first uploaded story, but don't let that scare you away!

Mostly I started writing this because I was a little bored and started browsing for something to read on here. Has anyone else realized that there are hardly ANY good Hidan fanfictions? Sure there is always the HidanXKakuzu lemonfest available. And he is respresented as an awesome side character in a lot of good fics. But I found it really difficult to find a good Hidan centered story. So of course... I had to start writing one, right?

I absolutely love feedback, good or bad, so please review! And I hope you enjoy!

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><p>The dice left his fingers and it would be only moments before they rolled onto the green felt table and decided her fate. Sachi attempted to swallow the bad taste in her mouth and ran a nervous hand through her stringy, honey brown hair. She instantly regretted the action since it reminded her of how filthy it was- it'd been at least three weeks since she'd had the chance to wash it with soap. Hiroshi stood close behind her chair, successfully trapping her in the seat. Unblinking, she bit her lip self-consciously as she watched the dice hit. "Oh no, no no," her lips formed the word, but none of the others could hear it.<p>

"Tough luck, luv," Taro, her oponent, shrugged as it became clear who would win.

"No…" Again, she made no sound as panic began to seep in. "Shit!" Her head shook from side to side as the numbers registered in her thoughts.

There were five others clustered around the table, all smirking. She glanced desperately around the crowded tavern. There was no one without a cup in their hand, and if it was empty they were trying to get to the bar to fill it. She only met the backs of people's heads, only seeing hair. Every color seemed to be represented, ranging from bright green to almost white. She couldn't catch anyone's eye. They all laughed and slurred and drank. But not one paid attention to the table in the corner. The table that was quiet now except for muffled chuckling from the men and the sound of her gulping. Their ringleader, Hiroshi, breathed down her neck. "I believe you lost."

Sachi froze in her seat, but the odds! They'd been in her favor! That'd been her only reason for agreeing-

A dagger thunked into the felt covered table before her, startling the poor woman from her daze. "Sachi-tan," his voice was sickly sweet in her ear, his breath raised the hairs on the back of her neck. "I'm going to be _very_ upset if you've lied to me…"

"O-of course not, Hiroshi-sama-" her stammerings cut off as she watched his knuckles clench around the handle threateningly.

"You know she doesn't have it, stop playin' with 'er." Taro rolled his eyes as he retrieved the dice, as if to protect them from the action.

Hiroshi's grip on the knife tightened as he wrenched it from the table and pointed it at Taro. One of the others sniggered as Hiroshi hissed, "Don't you order me around."

Taro held up his hands in surrender, looking bored already.

"Now… where is my money?" Hiroshi's attention was directed at her once again.

Sachi shrunk in her seat, yelping as he turned the knife on her, its cool blade cuttining into her throat just barely. Under his knife, she was helpless- and he knew it. She swallowed, clenching the arms of her chair tightly. "Pray I like your answer, Sachi-taaan," Hiroshi cooed.

His hand, not holding the glistening blade, grabbed a handful of matted hair and yanked her head back. She flashed him a pained, desperate smile, feeling the thin trail of blood seep down her throat.

People in the pub had started to notice the girl's plight, giving the table a wide berth. Most did their best to pretend they didn't see it. Some whispered amongst themselves. But several watched from the bar with morbid curiosity. The bartender, Haru, meandered over slowly.

"Sachi-tan, let me ask one more time…" Hiroshi was too close, she could feel his breath against the shell of her ear. "Where is my _fucking_ money?"

The blade pressed harder and a soft whimper escaped her lips. "I- I don't have it on me-" she hated how her voice squeaked. He sneered, tugging harder at her hair. Tears welled in her eyes at the sharp pain. Blinking them away shopelessly, she realized that this time he may actually kill her.

"You know I hate to hear that, Sachi."

Haru's heavy hand fell on Hiroshi's shoulder and she felt a glimmer of hope- only to have it ripped away. "Hiroshi-kun," he sighed, "You know I'd never stick my nose in your business, but if you're going to make a mess of 'er, take it out back. I'm not cleaning up after you again."

She gaped at him in horror.

"Look, you've already ruined my nice table." Haru gestured to the gash in the felt where Hiroshi's knife had just been. The bartender raised an expectant eyebrow at Sachi's tormentor.

Hiroshi's eyes flashed with frustration and he twisted his fist in her hair, earning a yelp. "Of course Haru, I'll respect your rules." Without hesitating, he jerked Sachi up out of the chair and lead her towards the door. She gasped at the pain, attempting to dig her heels into the wood floor. Her pathetic attempt at clawing off his hand had little effect as he dragged her out back. She shrieked as he tossed her forward up the few steps.

"Please- please I'll get you the money!" she held a shaking hand to comfort where he'd held her hair. It burned at the light contact. She scrambled up the steps and away from him.

"I'm gettin sick of hearin that, Sachi-tan." He followed at an even pace, towering over her menacingly.

"Somehow- please- I promise!" Tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

"That's what you said last time, the time before AND the time before that. Eventually, a man's just got to cut his losses."

"Don't do this!" she cowered, having eyes only for the knife in his hand. It reflected the dim light from the lantern above the stairs and glistened in the darkness. "_Please!_ What would killing me earn you?"

"Bout the same as leavin you alive, sweetheart."

She made to stand, to run, to get out of the tight alley holding her prisoner; but he was already upon her. His large fist connected hard with the side of her face, knocking her back against the earth helplessly. Before she could move to defend herself, his boot caught her chest hard. An unmistakable cracking of ribs echoed through the alley. She curled, whimpering. He smirked, "Do you want me to take this slow," he crouched over her, "Or make it swift?"

She shook her head desperately, eyes trained on the blade. She held her arms out above her head protectively. This wasn't how she'd pictured her last moments.

He grabbed her chin roughly, earning a satisfying cry. The tender flesh was already swollen where he'd hit her. The flat of his blade found the pulsing, sensitive skin at her throat. "Slow then?"

The air left her lungs, _No-!_

The door to the pub swung open, shedding light on the broken girl and her executioner. In the doorway stood a tall, broad-chested man silhouetted brilliantly in front of the light. He ran a hand through his thick, platinum hair. "Uh- sorry ta interrupt. But _shit_ have I got to piss!" he walked up the few steps and eyed the two drunkenly, "I'll be 'bout my business o're there-"

Sachi made a noise as he made to pass them, not expecting much from a man who'd laughed earlier.

He glanced over his shoulder with startlingly pale eyes. "Aw, shit, bitch! You don't expec' me to help ya?"

Her eyes widened at his coarseness and Hiroshi laughed loudly. "Well, an audience never hurt anyone…" the blade travelled down her throat and along her breastbone, leaving a thin trail of blood and cutting through the ragged blouse. She inhaled sharply at the pressure against her shattered ribcage. "Please?" she shouted lamely to the white haired man.

She'd bitten her lower lip and he watched with fascination as blood dripped from her mouth to the grimy granite beneath her.

Hiroshi frowned, twisting his foot on her hand so she cried out.

The drunk made a face before stumbling over. "What'd the fuck she do, anyways?" he glanced at her appraisingly. "Tiny lil skank like that ain't even worth offering up to the great Jashin-sama!"

She stared at him, praying it would be swifter now. Perhaps Hiroshi would just finish her off quickly to avoid a show instead-

Hiroshi frowned at the newcomer, obviously rethinking his opinion about the audience. "Owes me a fat load of cash." He slammed his boot into Sachi's chest, pinning her to the floor. White lights spotted her vision and she shrieked as he dug his heel in. "And I'm sick of waiting for it." He sneered with a particular malice meant only for her as she gasped for breath, weakly grabbing at his boot with her good hand.

The pain left her reeling, her vision spun and it was harder and harder to cling to consciousness. She knew she'd be gone if she lost it. The aching in her chest and hand swelled together rather than one out ruling the other and her jaw twinged as if trying to keep up. She strained for each shallow, uneasy breath.

White-haired guy laughed, the noise seeming to fill the space. "Ya'd get along fine with my sonofabitch partner. Money this, money that." He glanced down at Sachi, his interest apparent behind his clouded eyes. "If you hadn't fucking snapped her ribs, ya could've had the bitch work it off?"

Sachi winced as Hiroshi took his foot away.

"She doesn't work. And when she does, she gambles the money away. She's a loose cannon. A lost cause."

She smirked slightly at the truth to it, closing her eyes. When was the last time she'd had any real money to her name?

"How much does the bitch even owe ya?"

Hiroshi glanced down at Sachi and told the stranger. The drunk let loose a low whistle.

Another voice spoke. "We'll take her."

Sachi's eyes snapped open to stare at the newcomer. He stood at the top of the steps, almost level with the rest of them. The door shut behind him, taking most of the light with it. His face was shrouded in a dark mask and it was hard to tell much else besides that he was massive. Hiroshi's jaw hung slack and he shook his head slowly. Sachi made to sit up but failed miserably, flopping back against the hard surface. The air rushed from her lungs as she made contact. Her eyes jumped frantically from each man to the next.

The white haired man laughed, gesturing grandly, "My sonofabitch partner."

"Are you offering to buy her off me?" Hiroshi spoke slowly, cautiously.

"Well, with her debt, she belongs to you, does she not?" the darker man snapped.

Sachi clenched her jaw and winced, happy to be alive, but uncomfortable with where this was heading. She sucked in a breath, attempting to ignore the horrible throbbing of her chest.

"I feel inclined to teach her the value of money." His tone raised the hairs along her arms.

"Interesting offer…"

The white haired man chuckled as if he found the entire situation hilarious. Sachi found that if she lay perfectly flat on her back, the fire lessoned. Cradling her hand against her stomach, she tried to focus on the fact that she was still breathing, if only barely. Hiroshi nodded, "I accept. Although I do believe I'm getting the better end of it."

"Of course you do, money is money, after all. Although it appears you are almost as poor at managing it as this girl." said the cloaked man. He tossed a small pouch to Hiroshi. "I believe you'll find this to be enough."

She watched him sift through the coins in the bag, counting. Satisfied, he bowed to the two men. "It's been a _pleasure_ doing business with the two of you, may you be rid of her quickly." He then sauntered past them, back down the short set of stairs and disappeared into the pub, muttering about shitty investments. Sachi swallowed as she felt relief flood her system.

"Bitch, you lucked _out_."

Her previous bliss evaporated as she gazed up hazily at the men. "Hidan," the cloaked one rasped, "Take care of the girl." He stalked out of the alley and into the street. She gasped.

"What the fuck Kakuzu- yer the one that fucking bought her!" the blonde shouted after him. He scowled down at her distastefully and took a step towards her. Mortified, Sachi made to move, but found herself coughing instead. The sudden movement sent shoots of pain racing through her entire body. She groaned and went limp. "Sonofabitch partner…" Hidan scooped her up and made to follow Kakuzu across the town. He groaned, "And I still have ta' piss like a muthafucker!"


	2. Nothing about money is ridiculous

Alright, I forgot about a disclaimer last time around. Athough, if I'm on a fanfiction site, isnt it pretty obviously based on something I don't own? If I owned Naruto, I'd have enough money to take my vacation in Kyoto every cherry blossom season. I only own Sachi and the most of the plot.

So on another note, Hidan is offically the most enjoyable character to write, ever! And Kakuzu is a beast, I don't understand why he is _always _gay on this site. I went back and reread a few spots, and watched a few clips. Kakuzu's character is pretty difficult to nail down. So let me know if I get too off base with him and I'll do my best to fix it.

Thanks for reading & please do review. Its very encouraging!

-Giggles

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><p>"FUCK!"<p>

Sachi's eyes snapped open at the sudden outburst and groaned at the immediate onslaught of pain. Was it possible to hurt worse than before? She took a couple shallow, quick breaths to calm herself without inviting more flames to the fierce fire spreading throughout her chest. Her ribs felt tight and her head seemed to throb endlessly. Sharp wires cut into her back from the thin cot beneath her. Had they done away with her- sent her to gambler's hell where she was now suffering for her debts?

She fought down the rush of panic and felt the pain subside till it was just enough to manage. She squinted up at the smoke-stained, cracked ceiling. A single, naked light bulb shed an eerie, yellow glow across the space, doing little for her headache.

"Oy!" the same voice half shouted, "She's awake!"

She squeezed her eyes shut and willed the ringing in her ears to cease.

"'Ey, non a' that fake snoozin with me, bitch. Wake the fuck up!" he growled the last bit, grabbing the leg of the flimsy cot closest to him and rattling it wildly. She gasped, clutching the edges for dear life as the movement aggravated her injuries. Her hurt hand flared up at the action and she hissed, pulling it into her stomach protectively. Satisfied to get a reaction, he stopped quickly. Taking a shaky breath, she peeled her eyes back open and met his strange, violet gaze.

His thin lips tilted in a smug smirk and he sat back on a bed only a foot or so from her cot.

She attempted to sit, but when her broken body protested, she had to settle for propping herself up on her good elbow. The movement caused her arm to brush against her side and she cringed. Then frowned as she adjusted more cautiously. Where her torn and dusty blouse had been before was instead an intricate crisscross of black bindings across her breasts and ribcage. She flushed, but her hand was similarly wrapped. Not hell then, cause no one would have cared enough to wrap her up there. Smiling a little, she returned her focus to the man in front of her.

"Thanks," she mumbled quietly.

"Shit, save that for Kakuzu." He sat on the edge of a dingy bed, legs spread wide and with his elbows on his knees, frowning at her. He was wearing loose black pants and not much else. Around his neck he wore two necklaces. The first was bulky and close to his throat. It had a metal strip engraved with a symbol she didn't recognize, but looked as if it had been cut. Below it hung a longer chain with another, different symbol. This one a circle encompassing a triangle. The metal rested against his bare, broad chest. She felt her eyes lingering on the hard muscle there, quickly tearing her gaze away.

There it fell on the most menacing, most ferocious object Sachi had ever seen. There, built to kill, against the wall further into the room, was a long three bladed scythe. Her focus zeroed in on the sharp blades and she swallowed quickly before looking back to him.

He had followed her gaze to the weapon and winked playfully when he had her attention again, "My favorite toy."

Sachi shivered.

The blonde leaned across the short space between them and caught hold of her chin. Her heart pounded as his rough fingers held her. He slowly tilted her face to the side. The tender flesh across her cheekbone pulsed painfully as he surveyed Hiroshi's handiwork. He flashed her a wide smile, "Yer kinda cute like this, all bruised up and shit."

She trembled under his intent gaze and he released her with an annoyed "tch."

Frozen, she remained poised just as he had left her.

"This is _boring_." He complained and with an exasperated sigh, he flopped back on his bed. "Jashin I'm pissed. Fucking dumpy ass motel, stubbed my toe… Kakuzu I'm going to fucking slaughter you, couldn't you have at least had a Jashin-damned lapse of judgment over something a _little_ more fucking interesting?"

Sachi stared at the ranting blonde with wide eyes. He sat back up and jabbed a menacing finger in her direction. She squeaked. "_Bitch_," he addressed her irritably, "You need to do a fucking magic trick or something soon, cause I'm bored as shit and I don't see a single fucking reason to that bastard's logic about keeping you around. I mean damn, I wasn't gonna let that fuckhead kill ya without Jashin-sama's blessing an' all. He woulda been a good sacrifice himself if I hadn't been so damn blasted… But I don't see why you're _still_ fucking here, ya know?"

They stared at each other while he took a second to breathe before he threw his arms up in the air, "_Well?_"

"I- I don't- I don't know how to answer that!" she grumbled and looked down at the fraying edge of her cot. She took a shaky breath and tried to ignore the shoots of pain in her chest. "Thank you for binding me an' all, I guess…" she whispered finally.

"Not like either of us has ever had to learn to heal, it was all we could fuckin do!" he snarled at her as if he'd been insulted.

"You didn't have to," she added just as quietly. He sighed heavily and looked as if he was about to go off again when the door creaked open. The largest man she'd ever seen in her life ambled through. She hadn't quite realized before just how much mass the man had.

"Kakuzu, _man_, whats with dumping me with this dumb bitch? Can't even do a fucking trick…" the blonde complained, glowering at the giant. "Keeps thankin me and stupid shit!"

His partner returned the glare with just as much venom.

"Um, excuse me…" Sachi gulped as both glares turned on her. She took a deep breath, "What time- How long was I out?"

"Like eight minutes." Hidan answered curtly.

"Really?" she marveled, wondering how they'd gotten her there and bound her up in such a short period of time.

"The first time." He finished, rolling his eyes at her idiocy.

"Wait- then?"

"You came to when he dropped you on the cot." Kakuzu answered, closing the door and removing his oversized cloak. The thing was big enough to fully engulf him, jet black and spotted with red clouds. But as his bare arms came into light (fortunately he wore a tank top, unlike his partner) she gasped. All over his strong, dark arms were large, dark stitches, as if he'd been cut many times. Misplacing her outburst as confusion, he explained further, "When the pain was… _upsetting_ you, Hidan got annoyed and knocked you back out."

She frowned at the blonde and he responded with a shrug. "Ya wouldn't stop screaming an' wailing. And I had a fucking headache."

Pursing her lips, Sachi turned away from him to watch Kakuzu neatly fold his cloak and stash it into a pack next to his own bed. He slipped out of his mask and fluffed out his shoulder length, straight brown hair. It took everything she had to keep herself from staring at the stitching around his lips. She shuddered. He produced a notebook from somewhere on his person, clicked his tongue and met her gaze with pale green, beady eyes. She licked her dry lips nervously.

"Enough pleasantries," he rumbled, "We have matters of business to discuss."

She cringed expectantly.

Hidan made a face.

"Sachi-san, is that correct? …Sachi-san" he repeated her name thoughtfully. She nodded and he went right into it, "So obviously, Sachi-san, I am expecting you to pay me back in full for what I spent last night. Whether this be in labor or in coin…" he scribbled something in the notebook, "We will discuss those finer details at length soon enough. I've already searched your pockets and found very few ryou-" she was dismayed at his unintentional reminder that she had been half naked at some point whilst unconscious, "-On top of that sum I expect compensation for various other fees involving your upkeep. May it be food, clothing, housing (that cot cost us fifteen extra) or _medical_."

She made to speak but he seemed not to notice. "And, to ensure a reasonable profit, I will be charging a weekly interest of seven percent."

"But that's ridiculous!" she cried, "To expect me to make that kind of-"

Hidan yawned and she scowled in his direction. He stuck his tongue out at her.

"First lesson, nothing about money is ridiculous." Kakuzu responded shortly. He wrote again in his notebook. "Hidan, prop her up with some pillows or something- she looks most uncomfortable."

"_Hell_ no." he shot her a disgusted look, "The skank is your project, not mine."

She bristled at his insult.

Kakuzu made a low noise in the back of his throat. "I'm warning you…"

"For what exactly? 'the hell you going to do to _me_?" Hidan goaded cheerfully

Kakuzu's fist clenched and unclenched and Sachi watched in awe as the long muscles of his arm rippled with the effort. She felt uncomfortable as he stared down the blonde, like his anger was a physical presence- the pressure bearing down on her.

"You forget you can't order me around like the last deadbeat, asshole." Hidan grinned, his eyes glinting mischievously.

His oversized partner grumbled something about preferring the old one, dumped the notebook in the loud mouth's lap and grabbed the pillows from Hidan's bed in a matter of seconds. Sachi yelped as he was suddenly above her, roughly grabbing her by her upper arm and shifting her into seated position. He shoved the pillows haphazardly between her back and the wall.

She started to mutter a thank you, but was interrupted by Hidan chucking the notebook straight at Kakuzu's head. The larger man caught it with seemingly little effort.. He turned on her and she sucked in a quick breath, having to remind herself that his anger was directed at the other, not at her. It was hard to do with his green eyes boring into her furiously. He shoved the notebook forward for her to take and she accepted it cautiously. Her eyes ran down the page riddled with numbers and equations.

"This is what you owe me as of right now."

Her jaw slackened as her gaze fell to the number at the bottom of the page. Her shoulders slumped. "You should've just let him kill me." She sighed softly.

Kakuzu scoffed, "That man was a fool. Hardly worth the meager bounty on his head."

Hidan perked up, "We could still kill her, ya know? I bet her blood is a brilliant shade of red…"

Sachi dropped the notebook into her lap her fingers shook so badly.

The larger man growled and long black threads burst from his arm. He fumed, "_You _never_ kill the one who owes you money."_

She covered her mouth with her hand.

Unfazed, the blonde simply sneered, "Who gives a shit about money, anyways?"

With a roar, Kakuzu's arm jerked and the black mass whipped out, successfully slicing through his partner's neck. Blood spurted across the crappy motel room, spraying across the cot and the shocked girl. A decapitated head rolled toward her.

Sachi screamed.


	3. Get this off of me?

I suppose I really should restate what I said last chapter. Its not that I mind Kakuzu being portrayed as gay. Its just that I feel like he has so much more potential in fanfiction than the constant, slightly out of character one shots. And no one seems to exploit it!

I'd like to somewhat apologize if last chapter, or this one, seem like fluff. I promise I'll get it moving more soon :)

Thanks for reading, I hope you are enjoying this (I certainly am), and again, reviews are more than welcome!

Till next time, Giggles

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><p>Now, Sachi had seen a lot of things in her day. She'd watched cheaters get their fingers chopped off, she'd seen a man scurry up a tree like a squirrel to avoid a woman with a bloody knife. She'd even witnessed a magician split himself in two once. But never, <em>never<em> in her life had she seen a head without its body, howling like a madman and spitting out insult after insult.

Her scream died as Kakuzu merely chuckled smugly, despite his entire lower half being stained with his partner's blood.

The blood coated everything. It dripped from the ends of her hair. She could feel it streaming down her arms and trickling between her breasts and soaking into her only pair of pants. It lay in thick, wet splotches across her cot and the bed. Red splatters decorated the walls closest to them. And the blood oozed steadily from the limp, headless body into the sheets, deep and dark. She took a long, uneven breath and refrained from licking her lips anxiously. She could already taste it misted across her lips.

She shivered violently.

Kakuzu wiped his bloody arm off on a clean spot in his sweats. The bizarre black cords were nowhere to be found now that the deed was done.

"I bet your fucking mother tried to kill you a baby, you unsightly bastard, bet she tried to drown you in the Jashin-damned toilet where you fucking belong-"

His partner stood, tugged the head from the mess by its white blonde hair and proceeded to tossing him to the other side of the room. Hidan continued shouting his obscenities full force.

Kakuzu ignored him and gave Sachi a once over. She drew her knees into her chest and hugged them close with the good arm, trying to stop from trembling. "You okay, Sachi-san? I might have gotten a little carried away…"

"Blood, it's- it's _everywhere_." She choked back a sob.

Pale green eyes narrowed severely, "This is nothing, Sachi-san. You'll learn to stomach a lot worse."

"What?" she hiccupped, unable to keep the first tears from spilling down her cheeks. Everything hurt, everything was covered in blood…

"Damn civilians," Hidan spat from his new corner, stopping his howling to eavesdrop.

"_It's all over me._" She hissed, annoyed that neither of them seemed bothered by its presence. "This is-"

"_My_ blood, bitch. Be thankful it's Jashin-blessed." He smirked.

She wiped desperately at her cheeks and lips, trying to remove it but only managing to smear the red substance more. She gazed at him furiously, "What could be blessed about _this_?"

Kakuzu muttered something venomously. Something along the lines of, "here we go."

The head wiggled a little to get a better view and grinned, obviously pleased with what he saw. "Damn. _Everything_." He laughed, "A fucking shower of my own, awesome blood all over the body of a tearstained, recently fucked up lil' skank? That's the most Jashin-blessed thing I ever saw." His grin shifted darkly as he caught the blood across her lips, "How am I tastin, sweetheart?"

Scooting back as far as she could manage, fresh tears welled in her eyes. His unmoving purple gaze gave her goosebumps. She looked to Kakuzu, her voice shaky with tears, "Get this off of me?"

He made a face, "I'll have to buy you new pants."

She nodded, sputtering a little as she attempted to hold back the worst of her sobs.

His gaze hardened, "They will be added to your expense list."

Again she nodded, the sobs already ripping through her chest. Kakuzu fled the room quickly. It was just too much, the blood, the head, the pain, the _money_. Her tears left clear, salty paths through the drying blood on her cheeks.

"Ah, fuck." The head groaned, "Don't cry- hey, please? _Fuck_."

She cried even harder, trying to hide her face with her hand.

"This is bullshit. Kakuzu, come back, you fucking win, okay?"

Sachi choked on her sobs, sniffing and gasping for air.

"You hear? You win! KAKUZU?"

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><p>The oversized, dark male returned reluctantly later to find his new project where he'd left her. Sticky with blood and slumped in sleep, she barely stirred as he shut the door behind himself. At his feet by the door, the Jashinist's head lay still. His eyes were closed and his lips moved in some kind of quiet prayer. Kakuzu shrugged.<p>

Hidan opened his eyes slowly. His cheeks puffed with air as he prepared to say something awful, but then he sighed. "She fell asleep then? Fucking A, it took her long enough."

Kakuzu nodded and picked up the head. He walked it back to its unmoving body and nestled it into its proper place. Hidan spoke softly, but irritably, "That was fucking heartless, man. Ya just left me in here, defenseless, with this crying bitch!"

Long black threads morphed into existence at Kakuzu's elbow, extending to knit Hidan's flesh back together. He spoke in a low voice as well so as not to wake her, "Looked like you two were getting along well enough." He took a step back.

Stretching his arms, Hidan sat up and rolled his neck gingerly. He scowled, "I had to go into some deep meditative shit, old man, just to escape the fucking noise."

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed, "Perhaps now you know how I feel whenever _you_ open _your_ mouth."

Hidan glanced at the sleeping girl, still sitting up against the pillows with her head resting on her knees, "Fucking beautiful like that. We should paint her in blood more often." Feeling ignored, he rolled his eyes, "So fuckhead- who's cleaning this shit up?"

Kakuzu growled.

"Nu-uh, this is one hundred percent your mess, old man."

"Not my bed though."

Hidan's face fell. "Damn."

"I've got to clean the girl." Kakuzu stated, staring at her sleeping frame cluelessly.

"Cheh, don't ask me for any help there." Hidan glared at his bloody sheets just as helplessly. "'Ey Kakuzu?"

"Yes?"

"Let's just get out a' here, eh? Leave the fucking clean up to the maids-"

"No." Kakuzu's response was nonnegotiable.

"Ugh… Why?"

"_Because_ it would be a needless waste of money. The room has already been paid for."

Hidan gave an over exaggerated sigh, "Fine. I'm payin' for some clean fucking bed sheets at least then."

Kakuzu shot him a fierce warning look.

"I hate yer eyes, ya know? Fucking give me the willies." Hidan swaggered past him and out the door.

With a huff, Kakuzu lifted the snoozing girl from her drenched cot, crossed the room with her and squeezed into the tiny bathroom. He lay her as gently as possible in the tub. She made a noise upon impact, but otherwise remained asleep. He switched on the shower and let the pathetically low water pressure begin to rinse away the filth. He then methodically began stripping away the bloodied garments.

Sachi's eyes fluttered open as cool water rushed over her body and she shrieked, thrashing wildly. Kakuzu's bulky frame loomed over her, his unnatural eyes peering down at her. He caught her arms and pinned them to her sides, "Calm yourself, woman, I'm cleaning you like you asked."

She whimpered at the pressure and he released her quickly.

"Why am I-?" she hurried to wrap her arm over her bare chest as she realized she was clad only in her now wet, grey panties. Blood streamed off of her with the drizzling water and swirled around her body in little eddies at the bottom of the tub.

He made an amused noise at her accusatory stare, "You'll hurt yourself more if you keep moving around." She frowned further and he chuckled darkly, "Not much to see anyways."

"Pft!"

"Relax, you're much too young for me anyways, woman."

She didn't ease up, flushing furiously.

He rolled his freaky green eyes that didn't have irises. "Here, let me sit you up to replace the bindings."

She stiffened as he reached for her, but allowed him to ease her into a sitting position under the water. He flicked her arm to the side and ignored her blush. The thick cords from before appeared from his fingertips and she wriggled uncomfortably as they wrapped around her chest. "What-?" He ignored her confusion and the strange mass cut away from his outstretched hand and suddenly tightened around her. She yelped as it formed against her ribs, successfully immobilizing the area.

"Your hand now."

She stared at him, but complied; holding out her arm. It had swollen all the way to her elbow and turned a disgusting mess of colors, ranging from beet red to puke green. It disappeared in a similar fashion under the dark bindings. "Better?" the way he spoke, it didn't sound much like a question, but she nodded anyways.

He settled next to the tub, letting the water do its work, with his back against the wall while facing the open door to see into the crappy motel room. There was still blood everywhere in there, from what she could tell. Inside the small space of the bathroom though, it was much cleaner. Folded on top of the sink, she could see a pair of pants and what looked like a t-shirt. Judging by the size, they were meant for her.

Up close, she could see each of the stiches across his arms. Some of them seemed to cross over his chest, disappearing behind the tank top. His jaw was sharper than she'd thought, longer and more pointed than the loud mouth's. She studied his profile as she sat quietly in the tub, waiting.

After a while, the water began to run clear and he glanced over at her again.

"Is it all gone?" she whispered.

"No. Let me shift you so we can get your hair."

"Thanks…"

"Hmph."

The twisting movement in the tub jarred her ribs and left her breathless, but eventually he got her sitting so that the water hit her head. Once again, red mixed with water flowed down around her. "Kakuzu-san?"

"Yes?" he lifted locks of her brown waves up to help rinse out the blood.

She hesitated, but the awkward silence was unsettling. "Did you _know_ that he wouldn't die after you did that… thing?"

He grunted. "Unfortunately."

Ah… How long have you and he been partners then? If you've tried to kill him before…"

"Three and a half weeks," he muttered irritably.

"That's not very long at all! How many times have you tried…?"

"_Often_." His answer came out a growl.

"I see… And what are you partners _in_ exactly?"

He frowned so intensely that she didn't even wait for an answer. They were quiet for a while as he searched out the caked blood in her hair.

"Kakuzu-san…"

"_Yes?_"

"Why did you, um," she licked her chapped lips, "Why did you pay off my debt to Hiroshi-sama?"

He avoided her curious eyes and continued at what he was doing. She waited somewhat impatiently, there had to be an answer.

"We'd been planning to collect Hiroshi's bounty last night. Not much, but every bit counts."

"Oh."

More silence. He squeezed a dollop of shampoo onto her head.

"That didn't really answer my question, Kakuzu-san…"

"With your already excessive debt, Sachi-san, you proved a better investment." He rubbed the smelly stuff into her hair and the suds tickled as they slid down her body to collect around the drain. "I can make much more off a live mule than a dead one. That Hiroshi, though unlikely, still may eventually earn a higher price. I will collect him then. My business is in gaining funds rapidly and productively. You are going to make me far more than I spent last night."

She swallowed, "I think you're seriously underestimating-"

The other door opened and the two watched as Hidan crashed into view in the main room. A load of fresh sheets in hand, he looked around till he spotted them in the bathroom. Sachi gaped, surprised to see him whole again even though she realized she shouldn't be.

At the sight of his monstrously sized partner crouched over a tub, scrubbing bubbles out of a mostly naked girl's hair, Hidan dropped the bedding and lost it. "'The fuck, Kakuzu?" he clutched his sides, laughing wildly. "That's too much!" Losing his breath, he wiped a single tear from his eye.


	4. Superpowered bounty hunters

It appears that I am on a bit of a roll with this and so I'm just going to go with it. Normally, I'd rewrite it twenty times and still not be satisfied, but I've really been liking what I've come up with so far ^_^

I do believe my reviewer KiraKittyKat owes me a cookie for my quick uploading. My favorite are snickerdoodles~

Also, I'd like to thank her and Miko Hayashi for being such loyal reviewers. I'm only on the fourth chapter and you two make me feel like I'm doing something right!

To anyone else who's reading, don't be shy to let me know what you think. Maybe KiraKittyKat will make you a cookie too? ;)

Thanks & do enjoy! - Giggles

* * *

><p>"So what-" gasp "-exactly-" cringe "-are you guys?" Sachi clung to Kakuzu's shoulders as he jumped easily from one rooftop to the next. Only a few yards to their left, Hidan followed in a similar fashion.<p>

She'd been quite surprised twenty minutes ago when Kakuzu took a knee in front of her and told her to climb on. With his width, it's been uncomfortable at first, but none of that seemed to matter after he leapt from the motel window and took off over the buildings. Sleeping flat on the solid floor in the clean half of the room had done wonders for her ribs overnight, but her body still protested with each of his movements. However, the fear of falling off and plunging to her early death definitely helped her to ignore the pain and hold on as tightly as possible.

"We are shinobi." Kakuzu responded gruffly.

Sachi inhaled, pressing the un-bruised side of her face against the shape between his shoulder blades. He wore his cloak again and she found the fabric to be quite cozy. Especially after having slept without a blanket. She sighed, "I don't know what that means."

Hidan scoffed, "Fucking civies. I know we're out in the boonies an' all, but weren't you _alive_ for the Third Shinobi Great War? How old are you anyways?"

"Twenty three. And yes, I remember the war… But I was so little then- only seven! I don't remember the details."

They reached the edge of the city and Kakuzu dropped suddenly to the ground. She shrieked as they hit, her head spinning with the jolt. "Let's walk a stretch." Hidan landed lightly several feet away. He wore the cloak, but it was open to reveal his muscled chest. Strapped across his back was the long, horrifying scythe. They started forward into the wilderness.

He laughed, "Ah man, I remember when _I_ was only fucking twenty three!"

"Hidan. Aren't you still technically twenty two?"

"Hey, shut the fuck up old man! Just cause my body stopped aging back then doesn't mean I haven't lived as many Jashin-damned years as I have."

She felt the muscles in Kakuzu's shoulder's tense readily under her hands. Her poor, broken hand looked awful, swollen and purpling against the black of the cloak. Kakuzu'd shot it with something to numb the pain before they'd taken off, told her it was a medicine from a friend. Then promptly informed her it would be added to her list. He went on to explain that the pain would return with a vengeance that night, but at least it would aid her for the journey. He'd refused to inject her ribs though, telling her that he didn't believe she'd be able to handle that one. So for now her hand was a mostly numb, swollen mess.

"So um, do all…" she practiced the word in her head once or twice before repeating it out loud, "_shinobi_ live forever?"

Hidan balked.

"No one lives forever, Sachi-san."

"I will, so long as Jashin-sama favors my bloody offerings!"

"I don't know what that means, either…" she mumbled into the back of Kakuzu's broad collar.

"Ignore him." He grunted.

"I've really been trying to, Kakuzu-san."

The older man sniggered.

"_'Ey_! No gangin up on me! Ya fuckers…"

Sachi's smile was hidden in the cloak.

"As I was saying before, shinobi die just as easily as normal civilians like yourself."

"So then, you two are exceptions?"

"As well as several others, yes."

"Then what makes you shinobi?"

"Jashin- we're like… crawling right now."

"_We are conserving chakra._" Kakuzu hissed at his teammate before addressing Sachi's question, "Shinobi are trained individuals who can use chakra- which is like a sort of energy- and can use it for certain… tricks."

"Tricks?" she brightened, "Like magicians?"

"Like fucking assassins!" Hidan swung his scythe over his head enthusiastically.

She gasped, "Oh!"

Kakuzu grumbled under his breath and the only words she caught were "idiot" and "one day".

"So, you're pretty much superpowered bounty hunters?" the light bulb went off in her head.

The goliath rumbled beneath her, "Not always for bounties, sometimes it is simply by order." He paused. "But always for pay."

She nodded, "I think I get it now."

"How've you never heard of ninja before, bitch?"

"Shinobi are ninja?" she cried, "Why didn't you just say that in the first place? Of _course_ I know what ninja are!"

Hidan smacked himself in the face.

Kakuzu sighed heavily.

"I'm tellin ya, Kakuzu, you sure know how ta' fuckin pick 'em."

"Excuse me, I'm right here!"

"_Excuse me_," he mocked in a childish tone. Laughing at her scowl. Frustrated, she glared daggers at him.

They continued ambling on a ways without speaking much more. The trees grew far apart here, and were so tall it hurt Sachi's neck to look up at them. A few birds sang in the distance, but otherwise there was little sign of life. She sighed heavily and nestled her forehead into the back of Kakuzu's neck.

"Hey, what the fuck is wrong with you, bitch?"

She looked up at him quickly, "Huh?"

"I asked what the fuck is up?"

"Oh…" she looked away again, "It's just… it's been a really long time since I left the city."

"It is good to leave. That city is full of worthless bounties."

"It's good to leave?"

"Yeah, fuck. You gamble, and yer in the shittiest location for it ever! Ya gotta go to Fire Country, that's where the best payouts are!"

"I've been there…"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I had to leave."

"Oh."

Kakuzu shifted under her and she winced, tightening her grip to keep from sliding. "Careful, Sachi-san," he warned, "Remember, you'll feel that hand later."

"She'll prolly pass out like a pussy…"

Sachi stared at him rather incredulously and he responded by suggestively wagging his eyebrows. He laughed at his own joke, "What, bitch?"

"Sachi." She corrected quietly.

"Ah? Speak up, bitch!"

"Sachi. My name is _Sachi_, not 'skank' or 'bitch'."

His jaw dropped. "How dare a lil' twat like you speak back like that to someone like me? I'd serve you up to Jashin-sama for fucking breakfast!"

"Didn't your mommy ever wash your mouth out with soap for cursing like that?" she snapped, "Mine woulda whipped me into next Tuesday…"

Kakuzu's shoulders shook with silent mirth as Hidan gaped at the girl.

"That's it! I'm about to teach you not to fuck with a priest of Jashin!" he reached for the scythe on his back and she squeaked, instantly regretting her insult-

Kakuzu stopped and turned around to face his infuriated partner quickly so that Sachi was tucked safely behind him. She peered over his shoulder at the fuming Jashinist. "Stop it Hidan. Not only are you acting like a two year old twirp- if you kill her, I will _personally_ make you responsible for all the money she owes me."

The threat on his voice sent chills down her spine.

Hidan's face fell, "That's bullshit!"

"Want me to take it up with Leader?"

"You wouldn't dare!" Hidan jutted his finger at him.

His partner seemed to swell under Sachi's fingers. Suddenly, she felt a pressure all around her, as if the air had grown heavy. She winced.

"Do it and see."

Crossly, Hidan backed down. The tension eased immediately . Kakuzu forged ahead again as if nothing had happened but she knew, even if she couldn't see it, that he was grinning to himself under that mask.

"Fucking Leader," Hidan followed half-heartedly, "One day I'll offer that bastard to Jashin-sama. You'll see."

Giggling a little at having seen the loud mouth put in his place, Sachi couldn't resist one final, smug retaliation. She looked back over her shoulder to be sure he'd see her and then she stuck out her tongue.

"I'll get you skank!" he roared, chasing after them.


	5. Instantly attracted to this beastly bod

Oh man, KiraKittyKat, a whole box! Just for me? Thats too much! But I'll accept them anyways...

Ok, I promise the fluff will end soon. Again... Although I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying it so far despite all my lollygagging around. Did you know thats actually how you spell that? According to Word at least, lol. "Lollygagging"~

Also, because I'm far too lazy to go back through the chapters, does anyone really know or remember how long Hidan has been around? Cause I don't remember. haha. I know the whole thing with his village, but I don't know if it says the timeline... If I don't hear back, I'll come up with something interesting, I promise. I just would hate to say something random that I think is awesome and then find out it says the real story somewhere. lol. Please & Thank you!

Do enjoy, ignore my rambling up here (lol) & remember to review!

Lots of love, Giggles

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><p>"So I'm not allowed to ask who you work for?"<p>

"Correct."

They'd stopped for a late lunch of steamed pork buns (slightly smooshed from being in Hidan's pack the whole way) after walking tall day. Sachi didn't understand how neither of the men could be tired yet, especially Kakuzu, who'd carried her piggyback the entire time. But she figured it must be one of their mythical shinobi superpowers and so tried to accept it as reality. They sat on a fallen tree in a neat line with their meals, Sachi squeezed in the middle.

She wiped some of the filling off the corner of her mouth, "And I'm not allowed to ask what you do?"

"We collect money."

"But I'm not allowed to ask why?"

"Correct."

She took another bite and chewed it thoughtfully before swallowing. "Am I allowed to ask where we're going?"

"Yes."

"Just not why?"

"That is correct."

"So then, where are we-"

"Jashin's sake, woman! Do you ever stop with the questions?" Hidan complained loudly, already into his third bun. "What's this? What's that? How do you do this? Where'd you get that? Meh, meh, _meh_!"

Sachi stiffened at his outburst.

"It's rude to talk with your mouth full, Hidan."

The blonde rolled his eyes and swallowed in the most over exaggerated way possible.

"We are headed north of here, Sachi-san." Kakuzu answered the question she hadn't gotten to ask, "There is a shinobi located in a town not far from here with an attractive bounty on his head. We move to collect."

"How did you learn about him?" she looked at him, genuinely curious.

"A poster in the last town. You can always find them if you know where to look."

"Always fucking bounties! That's all I've heard about this whole damn month. When are we going to get around to all the real killing I was fucking promised?"

Kakuzu frowned, a sigh on his voice, "I requested a solitary assignment…" He'd removed his mask to eat and Sachi watched with fascination as his stitches stretched to accommodate each bite. He looked up at her and she blushed, glancing away quickly.

"Didn't you say something about having a partner before Hidan-san?" she continued with her informal interview. The man glowered at something in the distance. She almost laughed, "Is that a yes?"

He nodded curtly.

"Then why'd you switch?"

Hidan burst into laughter, "Oh, he fucking tore apart the last guy!"

Sachi choked, "What?"

"Oh yeah, went into a fit of rage and ripped the asshole to pieces!"

She turned to stare at the older shinobi, her eyes wide with disbelief. He shrugged dismissively as if it were nothing; his response more of a growl than anything, "I have a low tolerance for stupidity."

She averted her gaze to her steamed bun and shifted uncomfortably on the log-bench. Only one bite left. She'd only accepted one of the small buns after Kakuzu reminded her of their cost. It wasn't very much of a lunch.

"Low tolerance my ass," Hidan continued at full volume, "That blasphemous geezer tried to slaughter me the first day!"

Sachi looked over the blonde and nodded shortly, deciding she could understand.

He reached out and pinched her cheek, just over the blue bruise she'd received the first night they'd met. She winced at the intensified pain and he smirked smugly, "Don't think I didn't see that, ya brat."

She rubbed the spot tenderly when he let go and glared ferociously back at him as she took her last bite.

Kakuzu stood, "Few more hours left before we'll have to make camp, let's move." He crouched in front of Sachi and she leaned forward to slide off the log and onto his back, fitting back her previous position somewhat comfortable.

The loudmouth double checked that his scythe was secure across his back, "Fuckin time, Kakuzu, you take too long of breaks."

Kakuzu started onward without sparing a glance for his partner.

"Hey, hey- wait the hell up!"

* * *

><p>"Oof!" Sachi's feet landed on the ground heavily, sending a quick shock up through her ribs. She held out a hand to steady herself and took a deep breath.<p>

It had hit the point in the evening where there was still plenty of light, but just enough grey to warn that it would be fading quickly. She looked up through the trees to the cloudless sky and smiled, it was so blue today! She then glanced around the small clearing they had stopped in. Kakuzu had immediately begun stacking firewood in its center, methodically building a log cabin. Hidan had hunkered down off to the side. He sat cross-legged with his large scythe in his lap, his hand over his simpler necklace and his eyes closed.

She waited quietly, they both looked busy.

Finally, Kakuzu had a very small fire going. He stood abruptly and she raised her eyebrows at him curiously. "I'll be back."

Gulping, she looked from him, to Hidan's quiet-for-once form and back to Kakuzu again.

"Ignore him." He repeated blankly before abandoning her with the blonde.

Sachi watched his back disappearing into the trees helplessly until he was out of sight. Her gaze shifted uneasily to the man sitting across the space from her. Feeling awkward about being the last one standing, she slowly eased herself into a seated position against a nearby stump. Once comfortable, with her back straight and her hands folded in her lap, she took to watching the man across from her.

When he wasn't talking, he didn't seem so bad… she supposed. And now that she wasn't so distracted by his mouth, she could get a better look at him.

For the whole time, she'd thought his platinum hair was closest to white, if anything. But upon closer inspection under the evening light, it seemed to have more of a silver tint. His face was wider, more square than Kakuzu's and not as sharp. Actually, it was almost heart shaped. And without Kakuzu's intimidating size to overshadow him, she could see that his shoulders were quite broad, and he seemed just as built. In fact, both of the men were incredibly in shape. She wondered if that was another shinobi thing, or if it had to do with all this foot travel they seemed to get up to. Finally her eyes fell once again on his strange necklaces. Their meaning was still a mystery to her. The bigger one was similar to Kakuzu's headband, but the other was so simple, it seemed like a strange accessory for someone like Hidan-

"Whatchya starin' at, bitch?"

She jumped and looked away to the fire quickly. Seems Hidan's quiet time hadn't lasted long. "Sorry…" she mumbled.

"Ah, I don't blame ya, skank," he looked down at himself, "Anybody would be just as instantly attracted to this beastly bod!"

Sachi cocked an eyebrow, looking him up and down again. She scoffed, "_Right._"

He sneered at her sarcasm and moved his scythe away from his lap to rest against the only tree within reach. The long necklace swung from his neck with the motion. "Why else would ya be fuckin starin' then, hmm? Taking advantage of my so vulnerable state-"

"What do they mean?" she blurted.

"Ah?"

"The necklaces!"

"I don't wear no fucking girly _necklaces_ bitch!"

She stared at him, then at his neck, then back to him. "But-?"

His cheeks burned crimson. "_Fine_! But they're not fuckin 'necklaces'! _This_ is the mark of a shinobi-" he jabbed at the larger one, closest to his throat. She nodded, that explained a lot. He pointed to the lower one next- "And _this_ is my link to the great and powerful Jashin-sama. It serves as a symbol for my undying devotion to my god!"

He crossed his arms and wiggled to get more comfortable in the dirt, muttering, "Not fucking _necklaces_…"

Sachi thought about that for the next minute, staring at the two (not)necklaces around his neck. She looked up at him with a small frown. He noticed.

"You ask me _one_ more fucking question, woman, I swear to holy _Jashin_ I will rip you apart."

"But-"

He exhaled loudly, "Gah- shit! Ya never quit!"

She mumbled something about soap and scowled in his direction. They glared at each other until he had to turn away and rub at his eyes. He groaned, "Jashin, I'm bored!"

"Then let me ask my question!" she whined.

"Cheh… _Fine_." He leaned back on his hands and looked her over. "But you only get one and make it good, otherwise I'll fucking snap whatever ribs ya've got left, ya hear?"

She wrapped her arms around her middle protectively and watched him carefully before she asked, "Who the _hell_ is Jashin?"

His eyes bugged and he made a low noise in the back of his throat. His fingers fisted as he leaned forward. She cringed, stealing herself for the blow. But he stayed put in his seat, "You don't know who Jashin-sama is, bitch?"

Sachi exhaled with relief and shook her head.

"Agh! Kids these days. What has this fucking world come to?" he threw up his arms and shook his head disapprovingly at her before shifting forward a little, waving his hands wildly as he spoke, "Jashin-sama is my lord and master- my damn god, ya hear? He is the_ only_ thing I answer to, and no one else. And he is the only fucking law in this world. He is the blood in these veins-" he held out his arms as if she could see his Jashin there, "-and in your veins. _Even_ in Kakuzu's sinning veins…"

She looked down at her own wrists, at the blue veins just visible beneath her skin, and frowned. They looked pretty normal to her...

He grinned distantly, "Jashin-sama accepts only the strongest blood in offering from his priests."

"So this Jashin is why you wont die- even if Kakuzu-san rips your head off again?" she whispered, her eyes wide and interested.

He winked devilishly, "Even if Kakuzu eats my fucking heart! Jashin-sama would never abandon his most faithful servant."

"I hadn't pegged you as a religious man, Hidan-san," she mused quietly, now eyeing him suspiciously.

He sat up tall and looked offended, "Bitch- the _only_ thing that matters to me is my fucking religion! Jashin-sama gives and he takes. He is the reason we are here, alive. He calls to us, he asks only that we kill to survive.-"

"I thought I told you to ignore him, Sachi-san. Now he's preaching again." Kakuzu approached the edge of the clearing. She shivered slightly. It'd gotten cold since he'd left. He held a mid-sized, lifeless raccoon at his side.

Her cheeks pinked a little, "Sorry…"

"Besides, Sachi-san, Hidan is incorrect. He fails to see that money is what keeps man progressing, not faith."

"Only fucking heathens take cash seriously."

"How did you two get paired up again?" Sachi sighed.

Kakuzu dropped the raccoon at his feet and settled next to it, his gaze dark and annoyed, "I can't kill him."

Hidan smirked, "Fuck yeah, ya can't."


	6. I'm a priest, damnit!

So I have a confession, and I just have to laugh about. I'm browsing this site and I'm reading some random summary. It reads "M for lemon, language and gore." and then, with no comma or seperation next to it, it says "R&R". Wow, did I read that wrong. cause my mind read it as "lemon, language and gore... and rape & ravage." So I'm sitting there like, there's no way thats what it means! Thats the silliest thing ever!

Turns out it just means "read & review." hahaa... *facepalm*.

Anyways, woohoo! transition chapter~ I hope you like it, I have so many ideas for later- I just have to figure out how to get to them in a way that makes sense. So keep faith! I promise this fluff will end! lol

Enjoy and don't forget to review! -Giggles

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><p>Sachi stared at the glowing embers of the dying fire and tried to picture them all sleeping around it. The idea of sleeping out in the open wasn't sitting too well with her, despite all their reassurances that they did it all the time. They even promised to keep watch. But she was unconvinced. She peered into the black of the woods. Somewhere, a wolf howled.<p>

She shuddered.

Hidan snickered, "What- scared of a fucking puppy?"

Sachi closed her eyes and tried to take Kakuzu's previous advice. She ignored him.

"Do you want first watch, Hidan?"

"Cheh… sure."

"It's almost ten forty five, Sachi-san."

Clenching her jaw in anticipation, she nodded.

"Are you ready?"

"Mhm." She lied, squeezing her eyes shut.

"'The hell is happenin?"

"The shot I gave her for her arm was at ten forty five am exactly."

He'd rebound the arm preemptively after their dinner of roasted raccoon to keep her from uselessly aggravating it now that the journey portion of the day was over. But she'd still used it to hold onto him all day…

"Oh this'll be fucking hilarious!" Hidan's eyes glinted as he leaned forward for the best view. The sun had dipped below the horizon and disappeared, leaving them in the weak glow of the fire. "Best offer yer pain to Jashin-sama, skank, and pray he eases your suffering."

She opened her mouth to snap at him, but froze. No announcement was needed for time, her whimper was clue enough. The terrible ache stared somewhere in the center of her palm and consumed the rest of her limb quickly. Reaching into her fingers, burrowing through her knuckles and searing like hot electricity up into her elbow. Hot tears poured down her cheeks as the pain blossomed deeper and stronger in a following wave, resounding through the very fibers of her shattered arm.

She gave a small noise and crumpled into the dirt.

"Told ya she'd pass out like a lil bitch," Hidan giggled.

Kakuzu rolled his eyes, "She was warned. There was no more logical way to carry her with her ribs in that state."

"Shit, take 'a look at that," Hidan pointed, "Still cryin!"

"It'll pass to sleep soon enough. Wake me in a few hours." Kakuzu rolled onto his side and closed his green eyes.

Hidan sighed and poked at the fire with a long stick.

* * *

><p>Gasping, Sachi woke curled in the dust, her hand held close to her chest. The worst of it seemed to have passed, but her arm still twinged uncomfortably.<p>

"What was that stuff?" she whispered.

It was almost black now, the last of the fire had been reduced to a few burning coals. She pushed herself back up and cringed with the effort. Hidan, crouched over by the fire pit, glanced her way, "Ah?"

She took a shaky breath and looked around. She couldn't see much else, but there was a dark lump not too far from her that she assumed must be Kakuzu.

"He's snoozing, " Hidan informed her airily, glaring back at the coals.

"I guessed." She cradled her arm, trying very hard not to move or irritate it in any way.

He scratched the back of his head, rumpling his hair. She smirked when he didn't smooth down the mess. He shot her a glare, "Wat?"

"Sorry, just… What was that stuff he used to hold off the pain?"

He cocked an eyebrow, unconvinced that had been her original question, but shrugged and let it go. "It's like… the liquid form of one of those soldier pills, but on crack. A colleague developed it. Fucking flawless till the time runs out. 'Heard it's awful, but _I've_ never had to use that shit."

"A soldier pill…?" she gasped as her arm constricted suddenly, but it passed just as quickly. Tears prickled in her eyes and she blinked them away.

"Nevermind. I'm not gonna fuckin explain- they're a ninja toy." He winked.

She tilted her head to the side, "Why haven't _you_ had to use it then?"

The corners of his mouth lifted, "Cause I _relish_ my pain, sweetheart."

"Huh?"

"To me," he smiled strangely, "To me pain is the sweetest reminder of my faith. For every bit as much of a fucking bitch a broken hand is, it is _just_ as enjoyable. They exist only together."

"That's… interesting."

"See? That drug would be useless as shit to me! It'd only keep me from my suffering!"

She stared at him oddly.

He shrugged and sat so one leg was folded and the other stretched out in front of him.

"I've heard about guys like you from friends in the red district." She made a face, "_Perverts_…"

"'Ey!" he chucked a pinecone at her and she hissed as it grazed her cheek. "Don't fucking compare me to those creeps! I'm a priest, damnit!" he stopped and stared intensely at her, "Wait- you have bitch friends in the red light? Why the fuck wouldn't you say that before we left the city?"

She covered her mouth and giggled as he proved her assumption right. He grimaced.

"Oh hey!" she sat up, "I have an idea! If you like pain so much- why don't you take the drug, do as much shit to yourself as you can in twelve hours, then 'relish' it all at once?" She grinned excitedly.

Hidan was taken aback by her enthusiastic suggestion. He eyed her, a slow smile forming across his lips, "What a funny concept, kid!"

She perked up, feeling as if she'd been upgraded. Even if he'd still only called her "kid"…

"Naw," he shook his head, "That just doesn't feel too authentic, skank. Better to pour all my best shit into the moment, ya know? Nice thought though!"

Her face fell.

"So about these bitch friends…"

"No."

"But whyy?"

"Pervert…" she shook her head. "I'm going back to bed."

* * *

><p>"Kakuzu-san, it can't have been healthy for me to have passed out twice in the past thirty hours or so…"<p>

"I think it's been longer than that?"

"Who knows? I certainly don't! Cause I keep knocking out for parts of it!"

"What is your point, Sachi-san?"

"That I don't think that more of that drug is such a good idea…"

"Oh you'll be fine as long as you continue drinking water."

"How am I supposed to recover and start paying you back if I keep treating my body like this?"

"Don't fret, you'll have an opportunity soon enough."

"Really?"

"I have a plan of sorts."

"There's a plan? Oh thank fucking Jashin! I thought ya'd lost yer shit, Kakuzu!"

Sachi shifted uncomfortably. They'd each had a pear for breakfast and were now waiting on her to take her shot so they could get moving. She looked uncertainly up at the older man, almost fully engulfed in his gear again, "What's this _plan_, Kakuzu-san?" She chewed on the inside of her cheek.

"I will explain on the way. You are wasting our time right now." He held up the impossibly large needle, "And time is money."

Hidan made faces behind his back as he spoke, then laughed at his own joke.

"I wouldn't want to waste any more money…" she whispered hesitantly. "Is there really _no_ other way?"

"I could carry you, but that would only further inhibit your ribs. Which should be your first priority."

She sighed heavily and held out her arm, "Okay, but I really don't-" she gasped as the sharp needle punctured the inside of her elbow. He pushed in the pink liquid and for a moment, the world went blurry. It snapped back into clarity and she stared at him, feeling lightheaded.

"I hope you learned your lesson last night, Sachi-san. No unnecessary movements."

"Yeah, yeah," she climbed onto his back and glanced at her senseless hand curiously. Liquid soldier pills, Hidan had called it.

Their pace was much faster than anything she would have been able to manage comfortably, but Hidan still complained once every fifteen minutes of their sluggish pace. After so few hours of paranoid sleep, Sachi wanted nothing more than to bury her face in Kakuzu's cloak and rest her eyes a spell. But Hidan's constant yapping prevented her from doing so. She tried tuning him out, humming, thinking of anything else and even asked him politely to be quieter a few times. Nothing seemed to work.

Giving up finally, she sighed and rested her chin on Kakuzu's shoulder so she could direct her question to him, preferring his low rumble to Hidan's high volume. "So… you said you'd explain your plan to me, Kakuzu-san?"

"Remember we are going to the next town to collect a bounty, Sachi-san?"

"Some other Shinobi, right?"

"Yes. This other shinobi may sense Hidan and my presence should we get too close. I plan to use you as a scout, Sachi-san. You will go in and attempt to locate this ninja and report back. I will, of course, be paying you for your services. Which in reality means I will remove a small sum from the amount you owe. In this way, I will also save on what would have been spent gathering information."

"Kakuzu, man, ya gettin to old, or what? You can't send 'er in there! She'd be fuckin defenseless!"

"I am not asking her to engage him, Hidan. It is purely a reconnaissance mission. I understand she has no chakra control whatsoever."

Hidan glanced at the girl on his partner's back. "Yeah. No chance ta' either. That bitch has got _nothing_."

"Exactly why she is perfect to send in as a scout, imbecile."

Sachi frowned, having completely lost track of the conversation.

"Oh! I see, I see."

"You never think things through, Hidan, that is your problem… Among other things."

"'Ey! Ya wanna go old man?"

"Excuse me…"

"Yes Sachi-san?" Kakuzu ignored the twitching Jashinist at his side.

"How will I know where to find this shinobi?"

"I have faith that you will be successful."

"No, I mean- how will I know it is him?"

"I have a copy of the poster. I will show you." He halted mid step. After fumbling around in his pocket, he pulled out a neatly folded sheet of paper. He undid it so that she could see the wanted sign and the man's face. He had short green hair gelled into spikes all over his head and sharp, angular eyes. She memorized the face immediately.


	7. I have a very comfortable couch

This one feels a bit longer, I think. But hopefully that'll make up for how little even happened last chapter. lol. Man, two of these in one day is brutal! I don't have much interesting to say at the top of this one, so I'll just let you guys get to it!

Hope you like the direction, love you all & please review so I know what you think! -Giggles :)

* * *

><p>"And you have the money I gave you?"<p>

"Yes." Sachi patted her side pocket. Kakuzu had been drilling her with questions the last few minutes.

"What about your water pack?"

"_Yes_, Kakuzu-san."

"And the map?"

"_Yes_."

"Yer starting to repeat yourself, old man." Hidan rolled his eyes in annoyance. Sachi nodded her agreement.

"I know what I'm doing, Kakuzu-san."

"Ok… if it's longer than three days we'll come and find you to make sure you're not in trouble."

"Yes, sir!" she saluted playfully.

Last night had been long and restless. There'd been a root digging into spine and every noise made her think animals were loose in their small camp. And the two days of travel seemed to have really irritated her ruined ribs because they creaked with each breath. _And _unsettling thoughts about hunting a man down for money had crept into her mind every time she was almost asleep.

"Alright Sachi-san, good luck. We'll see you soon."

She waved her farewell, turned on her heel and headed out into the wilderness alone.

"Don't get caught either, bitch!" Hidan yelled after her.

Sachi rolled her eyes and continued in the direction of the town.

Once she was out of sight, Hidan turned to his partner, "Think this is smart, Kakuzu? She owes ya a lot of shit and you just let her walk away with more of yer fuckin money! What if she tries to run or something?"

"I doubt she will."

"Fuck, you've gotten easy. That trust is misplaced, man."

"Think about it Hidan, she hasn't tried to yet."

"Cause we've been with her the whole damn time! What if she's just been biding her time- and you just fucking handed it to her?"

"Even the night we met her, with that amateur, Sachi-san didn't try to run away. She only begged him for more time. I think she is honorable to have stayed to face her consequences. A fool, but honorable."

"Huh. I guess that sounds right." Hidan frowned, "Sorta."

"She only asked for help when it became clear he would kill her."

"Cheh."

"And that is why I doubt she would just take the money and run."

* * *

><p>Walking through the gates of the city, Sachi felt an immediate rush of relief. To be amongst buildings and inside of civilization was very comforting. And Kakuzu hadn't forced a shot on her today, so she had no anxiety over a painful fit waiting for her tonight. She smiled and trailed her fingers along a fence.<p>

Kakuzu had torn up a spare shirt that morning and used that along with a flat branch to bind her arm because it would look more natural. The downside was that it wasn't nearly as secure as his weird black bindings and she could feel it jar with each step. Not as great of quality.

She followed the street through a brief residential patch and eventually emerged on a larger, more populated street. Booths lined its edges and merchants boasted their wares loudly so the crowds could hear. It felt as though the entire crowd filled the space. She jumped into the throng immediately, excitedly looking around. There was so much to see, exotic jewelry, artwork and every kind of fruit or vegetable. She stopped at almost every stall, picking up the wares and examining them. The pouch of coins in her pocket felt heavy.

Music played somewhere and she giggled to herself. What a beautiful day for a market day! But she'd wasted enough time already, she had a job to do…

She walked past a small gathering of young men, seated on empty crates and barrels off to the side. A handful of dice left one of the man's fingers and landed on the small folding table in the center of the group. He groaned and ran his hands through his messy blonde hair. "Alright, lost that one. How 'bout double or nothing?" His friends laughed and rolled their eyes. Everybody added to the hat in the dust beneath the table and started calling numbers for the next game.

Sachi's fingers twitched.

* * *

><p>Kakuzu "hmpf'd" and cast his eyes in the direction they'd sent the girl. It was the middle of the afternoon and they'd already exhausted their short list of card games that could be played with only two people. Hidan followed his gaze and cracked a smile, "Worried 'bout yer pet?"<p>

The older shinobi looked at Hidan with a frown. "I do _not_ keep pets. They are impractical, messy and cost too much money."

Hidan's grin widened, "You were fuckin worrying, weren't ya? Ya old softie…"

"I was only wondering what she is up to. She has nover done this before. Perhaps three days is too long?"

"Oh come on! She's just scopin shit out. What's the worst that could happen?"

Kakuzu nodded his agreement and reshuffled their deck of cards. "I see your point."

Hidan wiggled in his seat smugly. "See, I'm not completely fucking useless!"

Kakuzu rolled his eyes irritably.

* * *

><p>The small group of men groaned as they watched Sachi pour their hard earned money into her small purse with a huge grin on her face. "Why thank you, chaps, I believe I won this fair and square."<p>

A brunette chuckled, "Damn, girl, you've wiped me out!"

The group all nodded. Everyone was in a similar state.

Sachi set the now empty hat back onto the table. The sun was starting to go down and shopkeepers had begun setting out paper lanterns to keep the street lit. "Anyone up for another round?" she suggested hopefully.

"My wife'd kill me…"

"Naw, gotta save some of this for booze!"

"It's getting late, love."

Her face fell, "But- it's been so fun!"

"Hah!" the blonde turned out his pockets, "For you!"

She sighed, "How about I buy us all a round- it's the least I can do after taking all your cash!"

"Yeah!" all of them shouted in unison. She grinned,

"Lead the way boys!"

They took her to the local bar, all joking and complaining of their losses. What a friendly bunch she'd stumbled upon! The bar was alive with drink and music and Sachi immediately felt at home. She had a lively chat with the handsome bartender as he filled a pitcher for her table. She even managed to talk him into helping her carry everything. Between her and five guys, the first pitcher went pretty quick. And soon they were through their second, and third. They told her all about their wives and jobs. They told her long stories of past antics and practical jokes. She flushed at their crude references and giggled at their tales of failed romance.

"Fifteen minutes till last call, guys." The bartender warned them.

"Oh…" Sachi looked around. The bar had mostly emptied except for her small group.

"That late already? My wife is going to kill me…"

"Ah she'll understand. It's market day!"

"Yeah, she can't give ya a hard time on your first day off!"

"What 's wrong, Sachi-chan?"

She ran a hand through her short hair and smiled sheepishly, "Oh, I just… I never went and got a room for tonight!"

"That's no good!"

"Is anywhere still open this late?"

"Whats the problem?"

"Sachi-chan has no where to stay tonight!"

"Uh-oh…"

"Can't stay with me… The old lady'll be pissed enough!"

"You can stay here with me tonight if you'd like, Sachi-chan." The bartender suggested. "I have a very comfortable couch in my apartment upstairs."

They all perked up at the solution and she flashed him a shy smile. "But sir, I wouldn't want to impose…"

"Ah, don't worry 'bout it, hon. You can just help me clean up after these bums and we'll call it good."

"Okay!" she jumped up to help.

After bidding her new friends goodnight, she and the bartender began clearing the tables. She was a little slow with her disability, but she did her best to keep up. "I'm Kai, by the way, you can stop calling me sir. It makes me feel old." He informed her with a warm smile. She looked up at him, balancing too many dishes in her arms. He had dirty blonde hair and big green eyes. Normal green eyes, too, not freaky green eyes. He took some of the dishes away to help her out. She returned his smile.

"And I already know your name, Sachi-chan."

"That you do," she laughed as they settled into doing the dishes. He scrubbed and she dried at a slower pace.

"Where are you from, Sachi-chan?" he made conversation to avoid the silence.

"Hah, originally? Who knows." She rolled her eyes at her own joke and he smiled.

"We get a lot of those in these parts. You just passing through, or looking to stay?"

"I'm just on… vacation!" she winced, trying her best to dry the dish with her hand.

He frowned, "Are… Does that injury have anything to do with why you left wherever you're coming from?"

She laughed under her breath and shook her head to rid herself of the memory.

Kai tried a different tactic. "Does it hurt?"

"A bit, yes."

"I have something for it, if you want. I can get it for you?" They finished the last dishes and left them to dry other night.

"That'd be nice, thank you."

He led her up to the small apartment upstairs. She looked around and almost rolled her eyes, it was definitely a bachelor pad. Empty cans littered the coffee table, dishes were piled in the sink and the couch was covered in half finished laundry. He laughed, scratching the back of his head and rushing to make room for her to sit. "Excuse the mess."

She shook her head, "Oh no, I've seen worse."

Sachi sat in the space he'd cleared and watched him somewhat hazily as he walked into the kitchen. "This tea will do just the trick!" he explained as he reappeared, handing his a steaming mug. She sipped at it hesitantly and smiled as the heat warmed her belly. "It'll kill any hangover, too."

"Oh I didn't have too much, that was mostly them."

"So, who was he?"

"Huh?"

He sat on the coffee table across from her with his own cup of tea, "The guy who hit you. Was it your father? Or… your boyfriend?"

"How do you know someone hit me? I tripped on the stairs and landed on my arm…"

Kai reached out and touched the tender spot of her cheek. She winced and he raised an eyebrow, "Don't lie. I've seen that bruise a thousand times. I'm just curious."

"Ah… it was… a boyfriend. We didn't exactly get along," she took a really long drink of her tea. "I don't really feel so good; may I go to bed now?"

"Yeah, of course. Hey- take the bedroom."

"What? No-"

"Just do it. I forgot how much of a pit it was out here when I offered the couch. Go ahead."

She nodded reluctantly and disappeared into the bedroom. He watched her go and sighed, looking around at the mess.

It was extremely easy to fall asleep, safely tucked within four walls with beer and warm tea in her belly. She snuggled into the bartender's covers and closed her eyes. But as she was drifting off, she realized that she'd forgotten her task for Kakuzu. Resolving to search tomorrow, she allowed the exhaustion to claim her.

* * *

><p>Bartender Kai woke late the next morning to the smell of coffee. He sat up to find all of the clutter missing and several full garbage bags against the wall next to the door. He swiveled to see the young woman in the kitchen frowning at a pan of eggs. Next to his sink was a stack of sparkling dishes and his counters shone with a new wash. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and frowned, "Mornin?"<p>

"Oh!" she jumped at his voice and laughed a little. "I hope I didn't wake you?"

"Uh… no?"

There was a ding and up popped several slices of toast. "That tea you gave me was wonderful; my arm barely hurts at all!" She divvied the slices of bread out onto two separate plates. "I hope you don't mind, I made us some breakfast?" She slid eggs over the toast. "It's pretty much ready."

He nodded, "Of course not, thank you. Sachi-chan… I told you last night was enough payment, this is-"

"But then you made me tea and gave me your bed." She shrugged., "And I felt like it. I owe enough people as it is." She poured the coffee. "Cream?"

"Naw, black."

"Ok, me neither then."

Kai stood to help her take the meal over to the table and they sat to enjoy their breakfast. She watched him take the first bite intently. He gave her a thumbs up and she grinned, digging into her own plate.

"So Sachi-chan, did you have any plans for today?" he took a drink of coffee, "I'm just curious an' all."

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about that. See, I'm trying to locate an old friend…"


	8. Been blabbin 'round the whole town

Alright... I would like to first express how deeply depressed I am today. Last night I discovered there is a Japanese live-action drama for the anime "Ouran High School Host Club". Tragic, just tragic. Its impossible to capture the spirt of that story in real life, and it made me so sad as I watched the first episode. Tamaki, although I love the actor they chose (can't remember his name, he's in Hana Kimi, too) is just ALL wrong. And Honey-sempai is just creepy. I'm still recovering =/

As for this, I like it. I'm thoroughly excited for what happens next. And I hope it is good! (as I've been so distracted by my horrendous discovery yesterday.)

I would like to warn my readers, also... I start my classes tomorrow. So I'll no longer be bumming around with all this time on my hands. I fully intend to keep this up & am enjoying writing this. But if there isn't a chapter for a week or two, I'm very sorry. It's because I'll be in class.

Sorry, I ramble! Enjoy & review! -Giggles

* * *

><p>"Kakuzu, yer stressin me the fuck out, man." Hidan groaned.<p>

"Get over it." Kakuzu did his best to shut his platinum haired partner out.

"Ya've been sitting there moping all day. And all last night. It's creepy... and annoying!" Hidan eyed his partner.

"Hmm." the larger man seemed to be shrouded in his own dark aura, barely listening to a word his partner said.

"D'aw… Still worried bout that bitch, huh?"

"Not worried. There is absolutely no danger in sending her into town."

"I can feel it all over you, old man! There's no use pretendin'- yer too on edge!"

Kakuzu glowered at the man, irritated with his accusations.

Hidan smirked at his reaction, "Why don't you just fucking go check on her? You know you want to."

"I told her three days."

"Well, I'm fucking bored as shit. How 'bout I go check on the brat and report back to ya, huh? Would that make ya stop the damn sulking?"

"Do what you want."

"Cheh- yer _such_ a stubborn bastard!" Hidan grabbed his scythe and through it over his shoulder. "Why'd you give her so fucking long, anyways?"

Kakuzu grumbled to himself and pretended to be annoyed with Hidan's impatience.

* * *

><p>Kai did not know the green haired shinobi, but he sent her on her way with a list of places that he thought she could start looking, an invitation to return if she needed that night and a short warning to be careful. Sachi left his small apartment with determination. She'd more than doubled the money Kakuzu had sent her into town with while playing last night and she was well on her way to completing her mission for him.<p>

Sachi stopped outside the building to look over the map and plan out her next move. The list Kai'd given her consisted mostly of other bars in town and was accompanied by a rudimentary map he'd drawn in red ink. He'd also written "be careful!" in big letters at the bottom of the page. She rolled her eyes and started into the rest of the town. It wasn't long before she realized that because she was planning to ask around in bars, she'd have to wait till later. It was hardly noon and the local joints would not be open until two at the earliest.

So instead she simply walked around, getting a feel for the place. The streets were quiet, everyone having packed up from market day. Men were off at work and women swept their doorsteps. She smiled at the peacefulness of everything, and smiled even wider at the quiet surrounding her. No Hidan to complain and ruin the moment! It was nice to be on her own again. She was used to moving around that way.

Sachi rounded a corner and was hit by the most marvelous smell. Something baking? Her gaze zero'd in on a small blue shop half way down the block from her. She inhaled deeply and started over. Inside the smell engulfed her senses. She almost moaned, it was as if everything savory was being baked in that great oven on the other side of the counter.

The shop girl greeted her cheerily, a smart green apron on. Sachi nodded distantly and pressed her face against the glass shield. Rolls, buns, baguettes, pastries! She looked up, "How much?"

The girl laughed, "For what?"

"One of these… oh and one of these!" Sachi pointed out five of the scrumptious baked goods and left with a hefty brown paper bag under her good arm. The baker and the girl waved farewell.

She found herself a grassy spot in a small park and lay out her feast, not sure where to start. It all looked so good, she started picking pieces off of each thing. She practically melted with excitement.

* * *

><p>What was left at the end of her indulgent lunch she packed away into her side bag before getting up to go ask around bars. It was a rather dull way to spend an evening, going from joint to joint, asking the same questions and getting the same answers. She'd begun to think there was no green haired man. That this was some wild goose chase the shinobi had thought up as a practical joke. Or perhaps he'd long since moved on.<p>

She returned to Kai's bar late in the evening, thoroughly exhausted from her day of walking around and had a couple large tankards of beer with the guys to dull the aching of her ribs. The bartender joined her table, where she'd struck up a game of cards.

"What if he isn't even _here_?" she asked him sadly.

He shrugged, "It's quite possible. People pass through here often. Why are you even looking for him? Do you think he can help you?"

"Something like that," she took a very long drink.

"Sachi-chan, your turn!" one of the men reminded her.

She nodded, cheeks bright pink, and drew her card. They were only playing for coins tonight. None of the men wanted to go big after she'd cleaned them out.

"Who is it you're looking for again, Sachi-chan?" one of them inquired.

"Green, spikey hair…" she took a drink, "Super severe eyes. Like… almost scary sharp eyes."

"And no one could tell you where he is?"

"Nope. I got nada!" she drank again. "Kai-kun, could you _please_ get me another?" she held out tankard with big, round, puppy-dog eyes. He laughed and did as requested, "Whatever you want, Sachi-chan."

"You sure you can handle another one, Sachi-chan? Yer eyes are droopin!"

She grinned, "I can handle a lot more than this!"

She hiccupped and they all laughed.

* * *

><p>Hidan took the trail to town rather leisurely, mostly just trying to kill time. He couldn't be around his deadbeat partner another instant. His sulking was driving him up the trees! It was mid afternoon when he walked through the gates and he huffed. It was a bigger town than he'd thought, lots of places for a little girl to hide. Especially a little girl with no chakra signature to speak of!<p>

He started asking at the inns. She'd have to have spent the night somewhere right? But he found that task particularly irritating when no one seemed to have seen an injured girl in the last day. Complaining to himself, he went into a bar to get something to drink and found himself asking the bartender just out of curiosity whether or not the girl had stopped by.

Success! The man said he'd just had a girl with a wrapped up arm matching Sachi's description come in about an hour ago. No, he did not know where she was staying. Hidan groaned, downed his beer, threw some coins on the table and went off. At least now he knew what she'd been doing.

What a dumb bitch! He thought to himself, so obviously asking around for the bounty. She was supposed to simply locate him, not make a scene of it. Hidan rolled his eyes to himself as he started bar hopping, getting a similar story from the bartenders. Yes, she'd been by. Yes, she'd asked if they'd seen her old friend. No, they didn't know where she was staying.

It started getting darker and Hidan got more and more irritable. Sure, this beat the hell out of sitting in the forest with a brooding Kakuzu, but he could think of a lot of more interesting things to be doing then running around after this idiotic girl. Jashin, did he want to kill something.

He went into the next bar he found, resolving to go find a room after this and continue his search in the morning. He stepped right up to the bar without bothering to look around; all the bars had started to blend together at this point. "Oy!" he got the bartender's attention. The blonde man with striking green features turned to get his order.

"What can I get ya?"

"Whatever's fucking on the tap, I don't care."

The bartender raised his eyebrow, but got the cup nonetheless. "Here ya go!"

Hidan downed half of it in one go and made a low noise. "I've a question for ya."

"Go ahead and shoot."

The platinum blonde took another swig. "I've been runnin my ass around this Jashin-damned town all evening."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, that's fucking so!" Hidan glared at the other man. The bartender waited. "Been chasing this bitch all over the place. Wonderin if you've seen 'er. She's got like, no fucking boobs, fucked up arm, brown hair about here-" he waved his hand at his shoulders, "- and she asks a SHIT ton of questions. Prolly asking after some guy with green hair. Ya seen her?"

The bartender stared at him and started to pour the shinobi another glass, his expression blank, "No… no I haven't seen any girls in here but the regulars. And Tsukasa's wife who had to come drag his ass home to bed- it's been a pretty quiet night."

"Well fuck, yer the first. Look- I'll prolly stop by again tomorrow. If she hasn't asked here yet, she's bound to eventually." The next part Hidan muttered more to himself than anything, "Been blabbin 'round the whole town from the fuckin sound of it."

"I'll certainly keep an eye out for her, sir." The bartender nodded seriously.

"Yeah, thanks," Hidan set a few bills on the counter and turned to leave, "I'm gonna go find somewhere to sleep tonight that has a fucking bed."

The bartender watched him leave and breathed a sigh of relief once the door shut. One of the men from the other side of the bar wandered over to him, "What was that about, Kai?"

"I think that was Sachi-chan's ex boyfriend just now. Ya know, the guy who messed up her arm? Was asking 'bout her."

"Man… good think you took her up to bed early, Kai!" the guy glanced at the door Hidan had exited through, "Otherwise that asshole would've found her!"

"Yeah... seemed like a loud mouthed dick. I can see why she left him."

"Well, he wont find her here!"

They smiled conspiratorially, glad to have dodged that bullet.

* * *

><p>Sachi woke with an unbearable headache the next morning. Really it was mid afternoon by the time she opened her eyes, but who could tell the difference? Kai had carried her up to bed, pulled off her shoes and tucked her in like a true gentleman. He'd even scooted the trash bin closer, she noticed.<p>

She groaned and thought about curling into a ball and staying in his bed all day. But her failure to find the bounty-man ate at her until finally she tore away the covers and forced herself to meet the world.

She wandered into the kitchen and found the coffee machine running and a scrawled out note next to it. "We have something we need to talk about", it read. She frowned, drank two mugs of coffee, pissed and started down the stairs. The stairs spit her out in the alley way beside the bar and as she rounded the corner to go in and find Kai to see what he needed, she ran straight into another person. Mumbling an apology, she made to continue pass him when a heavy hand caught her shoulder.

"So _you're_ the girl who's been asking all around town about me?"

His voice fell over her like a sheet of ice. Slowly, she turned to meet the dark, angular eyes of the green haired man.


	9. Makes it so much easier in a way

Wow, it really was a whole week. Sorry guys! They probably will be a little further apart, but I'll try to keep it shorter than a week. Cause I completely understand how awful it is to wait. And I know for a fact that at least a few of you have been waiting! Thank you for the continuing support, I even got a new reviewer last chapter! (Aidriana-chan, welcome!)

School was crazy, btw. I'm looking forward to the next few months so much! Yay- preparing for my future~

So I hope this chapter is up to your expectations, read, enjoy & seriously- just let me know what you think :)

Thanks, Giggles

* * *

><p>Kai frowned at the clock. It was almost three in the afternoon. He knew Sachi had drank a bit too much, but even this was getting a little late. "Maybe I should go wake her up with some tea?" he wondered aloud, wiping down his counter fastidiously with a furrowed brow. Another half hour passed and he was starting to worry she'd gotten too sick. And he still needed to warn her that her ex was in town looking for her before it got too late! He asked one of his regulars to watch the bar and folded up his apron before exiting.<p>

Outside was deserted, all of the men were still at work and the women weren't generally on this side of town. He turned the corner to the alley and frowned at the knocked over garbage bin. Probably some stupid kids. He trotted upstairs and found his door unlocked. Suddenly he had a very bad feeling. "Sachi-chan?" he called nervously, pushing the door open.

Nothing.

Except that the coffee had been emptied, and there was an extra mug in the sink and his note was missing. Confused, Kai checked the bedroom. "Sachi-chan?" Empty. The bed had been sloppily remade and her shoes were nowhere to be found. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. "Sachi-chan?" he hurried from the apartment, calling from the landing, "SACHI?"

"The _fuck_?"

His gaze snapped onto the white haired man from the night before and his eyes widened. "You're-?"

"Are you kidding me? Tellin' me you hadn't seen her…" Hidan growled from where he stood in the alley way, "Do you have any clue who the fuck you lied to last night?"

"What did you do to Sachi-chan?" Kai demanded, starting down the stairs.

"Me?" Hidan's eyebrows shot up, confusion erasing annoyance.

"If you hurt her again-"

* * *

><p>Kakuzu exhaled loudly.<p>

Without his partner around, he could hear the breeze rustle the leaves of the tall trees. He could lay back and listen as the birds sang in the distance. He could eat without being disturbed. And he could count his change in silence. He'd missed this.

It was truly peaceful.

But he was beginning to bore.

* * *

><p>"What kind of freaky chakra control is this?" a voice was saying, stirring Sachi from the bliss of unconsciousness. "Even knocked out like a light, she isn't leaking a drop!"<p>

As she wakened, she became more and more aware of the terrible, searing pain in her wrist.

"Hoshi-kun, you'll have to be careful. Who knows what she's capable of?" another voice whispered back, it had a sharper edge to it.

"Doesn't seem the brightest to me…" the first voice answered.

Sachi squinted through her hazy vision.

"What if it's a trap? She probably wanted us to find her. Did you think about that?" The second voice almost sounded bored.

"Don't you think I've thought of that? That's why she's bound so tightly!"

She wiggled her hand a bit, feeling the rope bite into her skin and grimaced. No wonder it hurt so horridly. Her hands had been tied tightly so the backs were together, contorting her arms. All she could make out in the dim room were the backs of two men. One was tall and lanky, with a shock of green hair. The other was shorter, but not by much, and his hair was tied into a long, dark ponytail.

"You seem to be overlooking a lot lately, Hoshi-kun. You let this girl get too close."

"I shook off those Hunter-nins… They shouldn't have been able to locate us so fast! I thought of everything, Sora-san. I have to find what trick she used!"

Sachi prayed neither of the men would turn around.

"Hoshi-kun, she doesn't even have a headband on her. She might not even be with them."

"When she wakes, we will ask her who she works for and how she found me. Then we'll kill her and make a run for it before whoever it is catches up."

"Of course Hoshi-kun."

Sachi's heart pounded.

* * *

><p>"Hey, I never fucking touched that bitch!"<p>

"Then what happened to her face, huh?"

"Nothing more than she fucking asked for- now tell me where that whore is!"

Kai crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm not telling you anything, you son of a bitch! You should just head back to wherever it is you came from and let her go."

"Fuck- yer pissin' me off now!"

The two men glared with equal ferocity. Finally, Hidan roared and reached for the weapon across his back, "Tell me where the FUCK she is!"

Kai took a step back and held his hands up, "Woah, dude. Calm the _hell_ down."

"Backin off now, huh? Fuckin pussy!" Hidan gripped his scythe irritably, his knuckles turning white.

"Look, whatever went on between the two of you- obviously Sachi-chan doesn't want to be a part of it. As much as you care about her… Look, just take a breath and let's be reasonable here-"

"_What_?"

* * *

><p>Kakuzu took the trails into town leisurely, allowing himself to soak in the quiet of solitude. He much preferred it this way, he kept reminding himself. The stitched man hated that he had to go fetch his partner like this, what was he- a nursemaid? He stopped in the center of the path and dropped his head into his palm, rubbibg his exposed eyes tiredly. There were voices up ahead, but he made no move to acknowledge them.<p>

"What a fun couple nights it's been!"

"Yeah, we really've gotta drink with the ladies more often."

"Poor girl though, if we're drinkin' again tonight, we'll have to cut her off earlier."

"What a riot- watching Kai try to carry her up those stairs all noble-like-"

"And Sachi-chan snoring the whole way!"

The two men burst into laughter. The sound died immediately as they rounded the corner and were faced with Kakuzu's hulking frame. His electric green eyes fixed on them intently.

"Why hello!" one of the men attempted to break the awkward tension.

"On your way into town?"

The shinobi made a low noise, "'Sachi-chan', did I hear?"

The two men looked uneasily at each other and back at Kakuzu, "Yeah, so?"

His glare left the one who spoke up quaking, "Describe her to me."

With a gulp, the other answered tensely, "Shortish, brown hair, skinny, broken arm."

"Hn."

The men exchanged glances as the forest was suddenly empty in front of them. "Shit- I sure hope Sachi-chan isn't in any more trouble."

* * *

><p>Laughing.<p>

The white haired man in front of him was laughing.

He'd released the weapon, thrown his head back and just… laughed. His hands held his sides and he roared.

Kai stared at the boisterous man, taken aback by this sudden change in attitude. "What the hell?" he exclaimed.

Hidan settled a bit, managing to get his amusement under control. "You think- you think that skank and I?" he struggled to catch his breath, "You think that _I_ would be… with that figure? Fucking… Sure, she's kinda cute with those bruises and wide eyes an' all- but I could do that to whatever damn skank I want. Not some flat chested… Jashin, that's rich!" he burst out laughing again.

Kai continued to watch him, now completely lost. "So you're_ not_ Sachi's ex?"

"Fuck no!" Hidan wiped a tear away from his eye and took several short, deep breaths.

"_Why_ are you trying to find her then?"

"Cause she's a dumb bitch and I got bored of waiting for her!" Hidan rolled his eyes as if Kai were a fool to be asking. He cast the bartender an irritated look. "Now tell me where she's hiding!"

* * *

><p>Long fingers dug into her scalp, surprising Sachi. He crouched in front of her, a wicked grin across his face. She grimaced up at the green haired man as he hauled her into a seated position before releasing his grasp on her rather suddenly. Near the door stood his long haired partner, lounging against the wall and examining his nails. She blinked to clear her blurry vision, but it did little to help.<p>

"Wakey-wakey," the green haired man sang, forcing her attention back to him. She cringed as his hot breath fanned across her face, making him laugh. "The hunter becomes the hunted, how very sad for you!"

Sachi gulped.

"For you, I have a couple questions!" he tapped his thin finger against his chin, "Are you going to be a good girl and answer them for me?"

Her eyes flickered from him, to the cracked door, to his friend, then back to him. He smiled.

"Tsk, tsk, kunoichi… you wouldn't happen to be thinking of running, would ya?"

"Kunoichi?" she whispered, staring at him with eyes round as saucers.

SMACK.

Sachi fell against the floor, unable to catch herself with her bound, broken hands. The force of his palm across her cheekbone brought tears to her eyes.

"When I ask you something, you respond with an _answer_- not another question." He pulled her back up by the ends of her hair and smiled sweetly as he met her eyes. She stared into his dark, hard gaze and shivered.

"Hoshi-kun… get to it." The other man hissed from his position by the door.

"Yeah, yeah." The green haired man growled under his breath. She took a quick breath as he turned back to her. "Now, little kunoichi, how did you find me?"

When she didn't answer immediately, he raised his palm once more. And shrinking under the threat, she answered quickly, "I didn't find you- you found me!"

The man at the door chuckled under his breath. Hoshi, in front of her, shot him a glare.

"Fine," he rolled his eyes, "I found_ you_. How did you know where to look for us?"

She hesitated only a second, seeing his fingers twitch. "I was told you'd been spotted in this town."

"That's not fucking good enough," he growled, "By _who_?"

"A man named Kakuzu."

"How did he know?"

"I don't know!"

His eyes flashed and she braced herself for another hit, but instead he did something far worse. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and held them out towards him where he could examine them. She cringed as he unfolded her tight fist and held her fingers on his palm. She sat very still. "Looks like somebody did a number on you. How very nice of them, to set you up like this for me. Makes it so much easier- in a way…" He gripped her shattered hand roughly, forcing a whimper out of her. "There, there... I'll stop if you just answer my questions properly! Now, tell me who this Kakuzu is working for?"

"I- I don't know!" she struggled, shaking her head desperately as he applied even more pressure.

"Tsk, tsk… I hate that kind of answer, little girl. Tell me something I can use."

She nodded, struggling to block out the pain. He twisted her wrist and she cried out, answering frantically, "His cloak- its black! Black with red clouds!"

There was a flash and suddenly the man from the door was in front of her, his fingers around her throat as he held her to the wall. "Are you sure?" he hissed. Her hands had been torn violently from the first man and hung limply in front of her. Tears leaked down her cheek as she nodded just slightly.

* * *

><p>"So, you see, she really isn't here," Kai pointed out for the fifth time as Hidan threw things around in his apartment. As if he'd find her hiding under the couch cushions…<p>

"Fucking Jashin…" Hidan stood in the center of the living room, huffing.

"I feel like maybe we should go look for Sachi-chan, instead of wasting our time here."

"Don't fucking tell me what to do, heathen!" Hidan pointed a finger at Kai. "You're the one who _lost_ the bitch!"

"Really, do you have to keep referring to her that way? It hardly-"

"Excuse me?"

"I agree with the man, Hidan, your crudeness is quite irritating."

Kai turned with horror to see a mountain of a man striding through his front door.

"I hear Sachi-san was drinking last night," Kakuzu stood near the entry and looked down at the baffled bartender, "Why don't you tell me where she got the money to pay for it?"


	10. They told me it was about a poster

So, its on the shorter side... But I felt so awful for leaving it off another week again and if I continued past the stopping point here I might not have been able to finish it in the next couple days cause it would've been so much longer! I'm so sorry guys, I had promised less than a week and I gave you _exactly_ a week...

Well this time I will promise it will be _no longer than a week_. How's that? This way I'll be sure not to disappoint.

And... I didn't spend as much time editing as I usually do, so don't be shy and point out mistakes so I can fix them! lol. Otherwise they'll go unchecked for ages...! Thanks!

Love you all! read, enjoy & review~

(really... i love the feedback!)

* * *

><p>"Tell me why the <em>fuck<em> they're looking for me!" the long haired shinobi roared, so close to her face that the volume had her ears ringing. She clawed at his hand with her only good one, trying to get him to release the pressure on her throat. He only sneered and gripped harder. The green haired man rolled his eyes and stepped back so he could be out of his friend's way. She was released, but not before he shoved her back, hard, into the wall. Sachi toppled sideways and took a few short, ragged breaths before coughing uncontrollably.

Sora glared down at her harshly, waiting for her hacks to cease. "_Well…_?"

She scowled up at him, propping herself up as best she could. Dark fingerprints were already forming along her tender neck. He made a noise. _I'm waiting…_ Sachi took a long, shuddering breath and held his menacing gaze for only a second before looking away. She chewed on the inside of her cheek.

"Answer him, little kunoichi… Sora-san _hates_ waiting-"

"Hoshi-kun, _hush_."

"Tch."

Sachi swallowed, and it hurt her throat. Hoshi winked to let her know that he'd caught her grimace. Sora's gaze, however, remained the same intimidating, cold stare. He lashed out suddenly and she squeaked- giving him the opportunity he needed. He pinched her tongue roughly, "Answer me fast, kunoichi… otherwise I may begin to think you have no need of this."

He let go and she covered her mouth with her good hand instinctively. Tears welled in her eyes and she nodded frantically. He smirked, seemingly pleased.

They stayed like that for a moment…

"_Now_, kunoichi." He snapped.

"Not you." She answered quickly from behind her hand. His brow furrowed and she continued before he could get angry again, "I wasn't sent to find _you_… I was meant to find-" she pointed, exposing her lips, "_him_."

His hand wrapped around her finger and wrenched forcefully. A sharp crack filled the room. Sachi cried out softly. The green haired shinobi grinned viciously from his new post by the door.

"Now that doesn't make any sense, kunoichi." His hold shifted to her middle finger and she shook violently as her eyes took in her mangled index finger. He continued, "Was that because they knew he was meeting me? Or… was that because they only know about him?"

Her lips parted as she met his gaze. Tears swam in her eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks.

"No hands kunoichi-chan!" Hoshi smiled from his end of the room, "No hands you'll have left if you keep up this!"

Sora squeezed threateningly, his expression unfazed.

"They told me it was about a poster?" she spoke so softly that even with the heightened senses of a ninja he couldn't make out her words. He narrowed his eyes and made to yank. She shouted this time, desperate to stop him, "HE TOLD ME IT WAS ABOUT A BOUNTY!"

An interesting expression crossed his face, but her finger remained unharmed for the moment and she couldn't be bothered figuring out what it had meant. He dropped her hand and she cradled them to her chest, whimpering.

"Sending a scout ahead for a mere bounty?" his tone was low and menacing. "_I don't believe it._"

He took a step toward her and she sobbed.

"It's all I know… please don't-"

"Hoshi-kun… do me a favor and make yourself useful. Kakuzu of the Akatsuki must be nearby awaiting this woman's report. I will ask him myself. _Do_ call his attention."

The green haired man giggled, disappearing out the door and whispering something to himself.

"Kunoichi…"

"What does that even _mean_?" she cried out, her brow tight with pain. A bead of sweat slid down the side of her face.

He froze and cocked his head to the side. He opened his mouth to say something when-

* * *

><p>"Kakuzu- your dumb pet's probably gotten herself killed or somethin'… You seriously asking about how she bought some dinks?<p>

The older shinobi shot him a look, unwavering.

"She had her own money, sir," Kai eyed the bulky figure suspiciously. "But who cares? Money's money…" He cut off as he sensed the reaction to his words. Kakuzu seethed.

"Ah… step back, heathen guy," Hidan cackled, a mischievous glint in his eye, "He's got a murderously sharp temper, ya know?"

Kai listened for once, warily stepping back just enough. But Kakuzu seemed to have recovered, exhaling with a hiss. "Alright… I will put off this issue of her capricious money spending for the moment. But Hidan- what do you mean she's off getting herself killed?" Kakuzu's electric gaze narrowed in on his partner.

The white-haired man rolled his eyes, "Man… I should _not_ be fucking running around trying to look after _your_ pet like this."

"Pet?" Kai glanced back and forth between them.

"She is not my pet!" A growl.

Hidan shrugged, "Whatthefuckever. The _point_ is that you need to keep better track of your own shit, old man."

"_I'm warning you_."

Hidan's lips cracked into a wicked grin, "What- ya gonna kill me?"

"I bet your head is worth some money…"

"Oh yeah?"

"It'd be so easy to remove it from your neck-"

"Alright, can ya stop bickering? We need to find Sachi-chan!"

"Find her? You mean you don't know where she is?"

"That's what I've been sayin, ya godless bastard!"

"Hidan… you really are worthless."

"Fuck you!"

"OY!"

The two shinobi turned to face the irritable bartender. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was tapping his foot on the hard floor. "Both of you… _idiots_" he spat, "Are wasting time. If she's really in so much 'danger', why are you bickering about nothing when we should be running to her rescue? Or at least trying to figure out whether or not she's _even in trouble_?"

Kakuzu glowered and Hidan quirked his eyebrow. But no one moved.

Suddenly, a loud blast interrupted their stalemate. The apartment floor rattled under their feet and several glasses shattered to the ground in the bar below. Kai started, all the hairs on the back of his neck had risen. But the two shinobi exchanged looks and simply disappeared.

Kai blinked at the empty room in front of him.

* * *

><p>Sachi shrieked as half the room was torn from view. Half the building, even. Debris shot everywhere, some of it caught her in the blast- but most of the worst bits were whipped above her in a terrifying torrent of wind. Her hair flew around her, straining to join the chaos. She tucked her face into her knees to prevent anything from hitting her eyes or getting into her lungs. There was laughter and slowly, she squinted through the blasting wind to see the shinobi, Hoshi, standing in the eye of the storm. His green hair lifted up above his face from the force of it all, twisting with the breeze. His clothing flapped around him and cast her a look over his shoulder.<p>

He winked.

Her breath caught in her throat. What kind of power is this?

The gusts gathered around him in a tight coil before surging outward, screaming past her and spreading through and across the town. She protected her face with her broken hands and did not lower them until the winds had stilled to a playful, unnatural breeze.

She gaped at him. But he wasn't looking at her. His gaze was fixated on something somewhere further- hidden within the town. His green locks drifted easily in the breeze she was sure he'd conjured, never quite settling.

"What's happening?" she shouted over the noise, fresh tears stinging in her eyes from the wind.

He glanced over his shoulder at his casually and held a finger to his lips.

"Hush now, little kunoichi, they're almost here."

* * *

><p>"He gives his position away first? How strange." Kakuzu mused as he and Hidan zipped through the streets towards the source of the immense chakra they were sensing.<p>

"Fucking lucky if you ask me."

"Think about it, Hidan… Why would he give up his only advantage?"

"I don't know, old man, why does it matter?"

Kakuzu sighed inwardly, "It's probably a trap."

Almost out of nowhere, their bodies were enveloped in a roaring wind. It pulled and tore at their heavy cloaks. But just as suddenly, it disappears. They looked at each other before they propelled forward with a newfound vigor. Hidan smirked,

"So…? It's not like it fucking matters for _us_, right?"

Kakuzu made to respond, but they rounded a corner and found their target. He stood in the center of a small crater. Behind him was there debtor, curled in a seated position, looking a little worse for wear. She didn't appear to be dripping in blood though, which was a good sign. Sachi's mouth was moving like she was yelling to them, but the wind seemed to rip her words right out of the air. Raw chakra swirling around the green haired ninja, manipulating the very air they breathed. It licked at their faces, pulling at their clothes. Not unlike a serpant, tasting the air.

"Kakuzu…" Hidan grabbed for his scythe, "It's been too fucking long. May I?"

The older shinobi took a step back and rolled his eyes, "As you wish."

Hidan's lips curled into something that could never be mistaken as a smile.

"But," Kakuzu warned with a growl, "I plan to keep my promise about the consequences you will face should you kill her."

"Yeah, yeah, don't fucking worry about it. I'm not _that_ sloppy."


	11. Remember to keep the head intact

Oh my goodness... My sincerest apologies. Life just kinda- well, happened. But hey! I got another one, I plan to keep trucking along so don't give up on me yet!

Its been awhile so I do hope I managed to keep it all in sync with the rest of it. Please let me know if any of it felt too off or anything. I enjoyed writing the action despite it not being something I'm used to (man is it hard.)

Thanks for sticking with me (if you have), Read & Review!

Lots of love, Giggles.

* * *

><p>Kakuzu stepped back, waving his hand dismissively as his partner swung his scythe out in front of him, testing the weight. The white haired shinobi leered at his opponent.<p>

Hoshi covered his mouth with his hands, mocking offense, "Only one at a time? I'm hurt!"

"Both of us would be unnecessary," Kakuzu responded smoothly, moving to give his fired up partner even more space. "Remember to keep the head intact, Hidan… I won't be pleased if you prevent me from getting my bounty once again."

"No fucking faith, Kakuzu. None at all."

"Not all of us rely on _faith_, Hidan. I only need to remember last time…"

Hidan was about to snap back at him when the green haired shinobi's chakra flared suddenly, gaining their attention once again. But Hoshi hadn't moved, he only stood with his hands on his hips. Watching the two men with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you mind, fuckhead? My partner and I are having a conversation."

"Being ignored, I don't take too kindly~!" the shinobi kicked at piece of rubble with his toe.

"Fuckin'… _Don't get cocky you punk!_" Hidan ran forward suddenly, letting loose a low growl and swinging violently at the green haired man. Only to be swept aside easily by a rather violent gust of wind. Hoshi barely budged. Hidan skid to a halt not too far away and chuckled.

The corners of Kakuzu's eyes crinkled and he shifted into a more relaxed pose. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched as his relatively new partner shook off his failure and reassessed his opponent.

Hidan began pacing half circles around the front of his opponent's swirling shield. His pace was unhurried, smooth and predatory. Behind Hoshi, Sachi watched the white haired man slink back and forth. Back and forth. She hadn't heard what was said, but she could pretty easily guess. Hoshi's eyes followed his opponent's movements carefully. And Kakuzu grew impatient, "Hidan, stop taking your time. Let's collect him and be done with it."

"Kakuzu- I'm on it. Jashin-sama will reward me soon…"

"Hn."

Sachi scooted back a little, the wall that had been behind her now in ruins. The ninja whipped his head around to check up on her. She froze under his gaze. Things seemed to slow down for her in that instant. Perhaps it was the pain, clouding her thoughts, or perhaps it was the adrenaline coursing through her veins in response to it- but as she met his gaze, seconds seemed to stretch into minutes. She gulped when his eyes glinted maliciously and she couldn't tear her eyes away from the threat. In the corner of her vision, something flickered. Her gaze slid past the green haired man's to watch as Hidan shot like a bullet at his back. Could that have only lasted an instant? Hidan raised his scythe-

Hoshi saw her attention refocus past him and half turned just in time to evade the large three bladed scythe whipping towards his head and flung himself to the side. Sachi screamed as the scythe cut dangerously close to her face before Hidan snapped it back by the long cord attached to its base with an annoyed, "tch."

Her heart pounded as she stared up at him. But he wasn't focused on her.

"Is this all you can do- defend your own pansy ass? What the fuck are you waiting for?" Hidan goaded, "Grow some balls and _attack_ me, you damn heathen!"

His opponent narrowed his eyes, crouched defensively. Hidan wagged his eyebrows. She scrambled to her feet quickly, attempting to get to where Kakuzu stood on the sidelines as a razor sharp torrent of wind sliced through the air like a hundred tiny knives, driving straight towards Hidan and her location. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched the deadly breeze rapidly gaining on her. Hidan leapt back out of range, a loud, bark of a laugh escaping him. Fear holding her in a vice, Sachi wasn't able to force herself to move.

Something slithered around her waist, yanking her from harm's way harshly and pulling her up off her feet. For a moment- the scene before her seemed to blur as she was flying backward. She shrieked in the confusion, throwing about her arms in a desperate attempt to hold on to anything and the something around her middle disappeared suddenly. But her feet hadn't met the ground. Her back collided with something hard and solid and suddenly… the world was gone.

* * *

><p>Kakuzu rolled his eyes at the unconscious girl, a nuisance as usual, but still alive at least. He certainly wasn't about to let that investment go to waste so quickly. Her body was slumped against the wall of a building just behind him where he'd thrown her earlier- forgetting that she wouldn't be able to land on her feet the way his normal associates would. But oh well, it was too late to be bothered with it now. He returned his attention to the battle before him. If it could be called that.<p>

His partner leapt at the green haired shinobi from all angles, trying to force his way through the shield. And Hoshi occasionally cast a furious wind at Hidan as if he were swatting at a fly. Kakuzu pursed his lips as he watched the fight. His bounty was beginning to appear out of breath, if only barely. It seemed as if they were just tiring each other out on purpose, each counting on the fact that their immense chakra would outlast the other's. The sheen of sweat appearing on the green haired man's forehead was a good sign as to who might lose out first. Kakuzu tapped his foot on the ground impatiently. "_Hidan_." He growled loudly enough that the other man would hear him. "The office closes at five in the evening… We do not have time to waste all day."

Hidan laughed as he dodged a gust of wind and flung his scythe in from the side, catching Hoshi's shoulder and drawing the slightest amount of blood. His smirk widened sickeningly as he brought the scythe back to him. "That's in fourty minutes, yeah? Plenty o' damn time."

The silver haired Jashinist drew a circle around himself swiftly, faster even than the gust of wind Hoshi sent at him could knock him off his feet. But he dug his scythe into the earth and rooted himself to the spot. With his finger, he wiped away the drops of crimson from his weapon and drew it too his lips. Making sure to lock gazes with his victim, he dragged his tongue across the digit and swallowed, a devious grin spreading across his lips. The shift was instantaneous, his flesh darkened and it was as if his bones were growing visible on his skin.

Kakuzu hmpfed, knowing what happens next.

Unnoticed behind him, Sachi began to stir.

"What's this? A new trick you've brought me?" Hoshi clapped his hands together as if in glee, but his eyes betrayed how unnerved he really was.

Hidan produced a kunai from somewhere in his clothing and chuckled, the anticipation making his very bones vibrate. "Oh you'll see what this is very soon heathen… We're about to share the most beautiful pain-"

He pressed the tip of his blade against his cheek and drew it ever so slowly along the line of his face. A thin trail of red trickled down his jaw as a blissful smile graced his thin lips. Hoshi's eyes widened in horror as he felt the same injury spread across his cheek. His fingertips rose to touch the blood and he held them before him as if not believing it was his.

"This is…" He glared at the Jashinist, sending a sharp wind straight at him. Hidan made no move to dodge and Hoshi lurched from the force of his own attack. "No- that means he-!"

Cackling, Hidan drove the kunai into his right shoulder- purposefully missing anything fatal. Hoshi gasped and staggered forward, a hand rising to hold the gushing wound. "Ah- so GOOD!" Hidan ripped the knife from his body and shivered pleasantly.

Kakuzu shifted his weight from one foot to the other impatiently. Hoshi's eyes searched in the distance for something desperately. "Finish it already, Hidan. We haven't all day."

"Kakuzu-san, what's-" Sachi's small, shaken voice cut across the battlefield. She never finished her disoriented question however because in the second Hidan was distracted, Hoshi disappeared. The rush of displaced wind against her back cut off her next words and he raised a shuriken dangerously. Her lips parted in surprise and her eyes met Hidan's pale purple ones, too far away to come to her aid. He wrenched his scythe from the ground.

Hot, wet fluid splashed across her back and Hoshi's body dropped heavily just behind her. In her line of sight, Hidan stood with his large weapon protruding from his chest. A similar pattern of red before him.

Sachi screamed.

She was up and running almost as fast as Hoshi had fallen, her feet propelling her forward at what she thought was an impossible rate. Her entire back was drenched and dripping in the green haired man's blood.

Hidan scoffed, ripping the triple bladed monstrosity from his chest and shaking the excess blood from it. At the sight of the girl running, her arms bound and tears running down her cheeks, he paused to cock a quizzical brow. "Now, now, I didn't do that shit ta' save you. I was gonna anyways, so don't you go getting the wrong idea-"

But she wasn't running to him, she was charging to his partner who stood halfway between them. Kakuzu stared at her in confusion when she did not slow down, plowing straight into him. His weight brought a halt to her escape and she slumped forward against him, sobbing. Her good fingers curled into his cloak and every sputtering breath she took seemed to only egg her on. "Kakuzu-san," she wailed, "I'm covered in blood again." He stood at a loss, glancing down at her. Stiffly, and somewhat awkwardly, the ancient shinobi wrapped his arms around the girl and patted her a little too hard on the head.

Hidan's shoulder's shook with silent mirth and he winked at the older man, earning himself a disdainful glare over the girl's head.

* * *

><p>Kai took a bit longer to react to the explosion. After his apartment was free of shinobi, he blinked and stared at the just recently vacated spots for almost a minute. Processing the impossibility of what was happening would take any decent civilian a certain length of time. Yes, he knew ninja. He owned a bar, for goodness sake. Of course he'd seen this before. So why was it always such a shock? Kai shook himself off and made to follow after them. He locked the door behind him and he had to poke his head into the bar and make sure the guy tending it would be alright a few more minutes… But then he made off in search of the same noise that the two men had run after. It couldn't be too hard to locate the source of that strange stationary tornado, now could it?<p>

* * *

><p>"Hidan- take his head." Kakuzu ordered calmly as he stood attempting to comfort the shaken girl. She stiffened and made a noise into his chest but he ignored her. "I want this dealt with today."<p>

The silver haired man shrugged, kissing his pendant and striding over to the body. He did as requested easily and without blinking. Holding the head by its scruff of green hair, he turned back to Kakuzu. "Told ya we had plenty of time, old man."

"Kakuzu-san…" she whimpered.

"Don't look, Sachi-san, it will only upset you."

She nodded shakily.

"Clean yourself up some, Hidan, you're a bloody mess."

His partner responded by sticking out his tongue.

"How is your hand, Sachi-san?"

"Oh that?" her voice barely rose over a murmur. "I can't really feel it any more…"

Her body went limp and he caught her arms to keep her from falling. Muttering a curse under his breath, he eased her slowly to the ground.

"Fuck- she down again?"

"Inconvenient girl…" Kakuzu growled, "I'll have to leave you here with her- she's in shock."

"What? Whyyy?" Hidan halted in wiping off his bloody hand to whine at his partner.

"Because I must collect the bounty and she'll die if she's left alone. That's why."

"She could fuckin bite it either way?"

"That is highly unlikely, just toss me the head and I'll be back before you know it-"

"Can someone _please_ explain to me exactly what is going on?"

Kai stood on the edge of the ruins, staring across at the violent sight. Hoshi, dead and decapitated in a pool of red. Hidan, steeped in his own blood and holding a head in his hand. Sachi, unmoving and still bound, splayed at Kakuzu's feet. Kakuzu himself, looming over the broken girl's body and requesting a head.

Hidan scratched the back of his head sheepishly, staining some of the locks a rusty crimson, "Well, you see…"

* * *

><p>Oh, I almost forgot. HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYBODY! :D<p> 


	12. You got the other guy too, right?

Woo! Productivity~

I tried to make it a touch longer than normal, but I liked the stopping point... Anyways, school's been stressful and crazy and blaaaah. But I've been on a writing binge lately, which is awesome! Expect more ;)

Love you all! Please let me know what you think in a review or PM. Thanks! - Giggles

* * *

><p>Kai crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot impatiently as the Jashinist stammered to explain the situation in his usual eloquence. "Well, fuck- ya see…" He swung the green topped head dangerously as he spoke, drops of blood flying from its base. "'Ey, it ain't your business anyways- we don't have to-"<p>

It didn't look too good.

"Is she alive?" Kai directed his question instead to Kakuzu bluntly, pointing a finger towards the body lying at the shinobi's feet.

Kakuzu glanced down quickly, noted the shallow rise and fall of her chest and nodded.

"That's good- and is that her blood?"

Kakuzu grumbled under his breath. "No."

Kai glanced distastefully at the dripping head dangling from Hidan's fingers, "Is it his?"

"Well it ain't fucking ours!" Hidan spat.

"I guess that's better than it could be…" The bartender spoke slowly as he attempted to process what exactly it was he had walked in on. "Wait a sec- is that the green haired friend she was looking for?"

"Friend?"

"Yer pet's a hellish bad scout, Kakuzu… Ya should trade her for a bloodhound." Hidan ignored his partner's irritable scowl and shrugged, "Be more useful, I swear."

Kakuzu directed his glare to the dumbfounded bartender instead, exhaling harshly through his teeth. "This is who she was looking for, yes." And somehow, if at all possible, his electric gaze sharpened further, "What else had she told you about that?"

Kai nervously stepped back, "Just that he was an old friend she was trying to locate… Why?" He eyed the larger man suspiciously.

"Relax, man, he's just lookin for _some_ excuse to kill you." Nonchalant. "Ya know, other than the fact that you've seen our fucking faces, witnessed an unknown amount of a battle _and_ have no reason to BE here…"

Opening his mouth to retort, Kai was cut off by movement at Kakuzu's feet. All three men stopped to see if she would wake up as she stirred, but she merely made a small noise and cradled her destroyed hand to her chest before going still once again.

"If that's all she said than I suppose I can overlook it for now. Do you by chance offer cheap lodgings?"

Slightly taken aback by the question, Kai nodded slowly. "I have space and some pretty comfortable foam mattresses I sometimes rent out…"

"Ah, c'mon Kakuzu- I thought we were getting the fuck outta here tonight?"

"The girl is in no condition to travel…" Kakuzu's eyes rolled above his mask, "And it's already past time for me to get to the office."

Hidan rolled his eyes, "What should I do with this then?"

Kakuzu met Kai's stubborn eyes, "You-" a bark, "You have a working fridge?"

The bartender's jaw dropped.

* * *

><p>"This is ridiculous- I cannot believe I am going along with this!" Kai watched with dismay as Hidan pulled beer after beer out of his refrigerator, clearing space for the neatly wrapped, still just as disturbing, <em>severed head<em>. He'd asked his regulars to politely clear out and closed shop early for these two men. He had found it difficult to turn down such a request from Kakuzu. Especially when he asked it with Sachi over one shoulder and a wrapped up head in his other hand. Unfortunately, this left him alone in the company of two rather deadly shinobi… both of which wouldn't mind silencing the only witness to their crime. However- he did it for Sachi. The girl sound asleep upstairs, recovering from god knows what trauma. Well, for her and his own health of course.

Hidan shoved the package into the cleared space and grunted his approval before turning on the barkeeper. "You talk too Jashin-damned much." He stood and wiped his hands off on his pants. His robe was tossed carelessly across a barstool nearby, his pendant swung dangerously around his neck. "It'll go much better for ya if ya quieted the hell down and bore it all in silence."

"When Sachi-chan wakes up, I'm asking _her_ how she feels about all this." Kai responded shortly, "Then I'll decide what to do about this. But for now… I just have to believe that you're her friends."

"Friends?" Hidan scoffed, rolling his pale eyes at the man. "That bitch? Yer funny."

"What exactly is your relationship with her then, Hidan-san?"

Piling the beers into the crook of his arm, the Jashinist shrugged, "Don'fuckin'know- I guess you'd call us acquaintances? It's that bloody heathen Kakuzu she's with."

"With-?"

"Nevermind that- where do ya want to crack into these?"

* * *

><p>Sachi opened her eyes with a start, squeezed them shut against the light, then slowly squinted through them again. Kai's room? The last thing she remembered was that ninja Hidan- dark and soaked in blood. She shuddered and clutched the sheets to her chest. The movement unfortunately reminded her of her hand. Just when it'd felt that little bit better… But as she went to look, nervously, as she expected swollen and mangled flesh, she found black wrapping securing it tightly. Quickly, she peeked under the oversized shirt she was dressed in (a shirt she had not been wearing previously) and saw the same material around her ribs. Rebound wrist, rebound chest. She stared at the curious black bindings around her hand and wrist, lifting her fingers to inspect the handiwork curiously. A small smile tugged at her lips. She was clean and bound, in a familiar bed and though her knuckles throbbed mercilessly, somehow it was easy to bare in that moment snuggled under the warm covers with pillows propping her up. The door opened abruptly and she jumped, looking up to see Kakuzu's colossal silhouette.<p>

"Morning," she whispered softly when he didn't say anything for longer than a moment.

"Its late evening."

"Oh… I just guessed." She looked down at her hands, "Hey Kakuzu-san… Thank you for this." She gestured to her broken wrist to show her meaning. He grunted in response and moved further into the room, stopping a step from her bed. She glanced up at him tentatively through her stringy bangs, "Are you mad? I know I'll owe you for this I mean…"

His brows furrowed slightly, but it was hard to tell exactly what that meant with his mask covering half his face. "I am not angry with you. It is my own fault for expecting any different. Either way, his head is in my possession. I will collect my bounty tomorrow. It is not a failure."

"So he's really dead then?" she shivered, "No… I suppose you couldn't really survive that. There was so much-"

"I bathed you." He stared at her darkly, a heavily implied '_again_' at the end of his sentence. She smiled sheepishly.

"Thanks," a pause, "Hey- I missed the rest of it, if he's dead, that means you got the other guy too, right?"

His gaze narrowed dangerously, his voice came out low and tight, "Other guy?"

"Yeah, the dark haired one? I think he called him Sora. I didn't see him after that guy blew up most of the building-" her eyes widened, "Wait! You mean you didn't know about his partner?" she swallowed, "I thought you'd know. He was the one who- but why wouldn't he have jumped in? I don't understand. He seemed to know who you were-?" She trailed off as the air grew heavier around her, seeming to press her deeper into her bed. Kakuzu's hand clenched the bedpost at the corner by her head, his aura absolutely murderous now. She gaped up at him and he spat his next words out through clenched teeth.

"Tell me _exactly_ what happened this afternoon."

* * *

><p>Kakuzu smashed the lamp on the side table. She finished her story- containing all the details she could remember- and he stood next to the bed quietly for a minute. That was when he did it. Just reached out with his impossibly long arm, wrapped his tan fingers around it and squeezed. Sachi ducked into the blankets with a short yelp as the glass and wood shattered in his grip, but the shards missed her and she blushed profusely at her overreaction. The shinobi in front of her swallowed several times in an attempt to calm himself. For half a second she wondered if that was how he'd killed his previous partner- the quiet rage, the instant relief…<p>

"Kakuzu-san," her voice came out only a little unsteady after his outburst, "I'm really sorry, its all my fault. I should've told you earlier but then the fighting started and Hidan did that _thing_ and-"

"No. I should have asked before we left the battlefield. I should have cleared the area." He scowled under his mask, "It is always best to think of all the possibilities, it would have been reasonable to assume he had assistance."

"But," she looked up at him shyly, "You can't always think of everything, right?"

He raised an eyebrow, "It's better to be prepared." His tone held little room for argument and so Sachi waited patiently for him to say something else. But he simply stood, scowling at the remains of the obliterated lamp as if their very presence personally offended him. She sighed and shifted uncomfortably in her bed.

"He called you Kakuzu of the Akatsuki at one point, Kakuzu-san. What does that mean?" she glanced back to him curiously. "Akatsuki… I'd never heard that before?"

His poisonous green eyes narrowed intently, "Sachi-san, _never_ repeat that word again."

"Oh." She stared at him with wide, blank eyes as she worked out exactly what he meant. His sharp gaze bore into hers until she nodded her understanding. "I wont ask again, Kakuzu-san. I promise."

"It's safer the less you know." He responded gruffly, turning to leave.

Just as he reached the door, "Kakuzu-san!" he paused, "Why did you two bring me back here of all places?" It'd been puzzling her since she first woke, but she'd forgotten to ask earlier. He shrugged, "Seemed easier to involve less people, cheaper." And then she was alone again.

She wasn't sure how long she sat in Kai's bed, mulling over what Kakuzu had said. About it being safer. And for the first time, she felt very uneasy with being tied to the ninja in such a way. The lines through their headbands, the unanswered questions… it all seemed a little shady to her. Not that she wasn't used to shady. No, Sachi had her part in some under the table deals and some jobs she wasn't too proud of, but never things that got people killed. Unless they were extremely unlucky, but those were always just stories to her. Tales told to scare away thoughts of going back on anyone. These two… These two had a different element about them. Something much bigger than she was used to and that frightened her a little bit. With the size of her debt, she wouldn't be able to distance herself from it anytime soon.

After sorting all the thoughts out in her head, or at least attempting to, Sachi eased herself out of the bed and peeked her head out the door. The apartment seemed quiet. She looked down at her clothing and almost laughed. Well didn't she look like a child? Anything of Kakuzu's would have dwarfed her and she was seriously beginning to doubt the Jashinist owned a shirt, and so the baggy, goldenrod t-shirt and oversized black sweats could only have belonged to Kai. She wondered briefly if she owned any clothing of her own anymore, or if everything had been ruined as she explored the empty apartment. Where-? She meandered downstairs, taking her time, and opened the heavy door to the bar with some extra effort. The sight that met her eyes was certainly not what she'd been expecting.

The first thing she noticed were the two men, Kai and Hidan, seated at the only table left set up in the room. Or perhaps seated is the wrong word. Slumped? Both looked up lazily to acknowledge her entrance. But it wasn't the men who'd surprised her.

It was the tower of emptied beer cans just behind them.

* * *

><p>"That head-" Sachi gasped for breath as she laughed, downing the rest of her can, "Now <em>that<em> head didn't talk after it hit the ground."

Hidan cackled and Kai hit the table with his hand, almost falling out of his seat as he laughed.

She slapped her emptied can onto the table with the rest of them, the stacked tower of before having been abandoned as it'd gotten too high, and giggled. Kai shook his head in disbelief, "No way- no way is that possible. Hidan would _not_ keep cursing even if it fell off!"

"I'm serious! I'm serious-" she made a sound somewhere between a wheeze and a chortle- "Why would I lie about something like that?"

"Fuck yeah!" Hidan wrapped and arm around her shoulders and jostled her, "This cunt's no liar!"

Sachi's face started to turn green and he stopped before she could get sick.

"Ah c'mon!" Kai frowned and swayed forward as he pointed his finger at the immortal, "You expect… **me-**" a slur- "to belieeeeve that even if I chopped off yer head, ya'd still never shuddup?"

Momentary illness forgotten, Sachi snickered behind her hand.

Hidan's big mouth opened to argue in return-

"Unfortunately, Sachi-san is correct. I have tried to silence this buffoon numerous times in the past weeks…"

"Ey!" the silver-haired Jashinist stood abruptly, knocking his over his chair in the process, "Who ya calling a buffoon you godless son-of-a-"

"Would you like a demonstration?"

"Ah well fuck you too Kakuzu!"

Kai and Sachi exploded into laughter.

Kakuzu rolled his eyes and ignored Hidan as he righted his chair and plunkered down once more. The oversized ninja observed the three drunks with a twitching eyebrow, his patience wearing thin. Rosy cheeked and grinning excitedly, Sachi popped the lid of her next beer. Kakuzu made a low noise.

She looked up in confusion, her brows knit together. "What?"

"How, Sachi-san, were you planning to pay for that?"

Her face fell; lips parting slightly, tears forming in the corners of her eyes and about the saddest puppy dog look she could muster. She looked back to the just opened can, "Oh…"

It was Hidan's turn to burst out in insane laughter.


	13. That idiot doesn't need caffeine

Ello there! I didn't die, I promise. I just got busy . And lazy... And I apologize for that. But anyways, here is the next installment. It may be a bit fluffy... but I'm in character buildin/plot bulidin' mode I think. If its too boring, feel free to complain. I do plan to amp it back up a bit in the following chapters however.

As always, I do hope you enjoy & review! Feedback of any kind is welcome:)

Love, Giggles~

* * *

><p>The rest of that night was spent in drunken jovialness. Kai and Hidan steadily raced each other into alcohol poisoning and Sachi giggled and hiccupped at the show they put on with the can of beer she'd already opened. "Tryin ta' make it last" she had slurred at Hidan when he asked when the fuck she'd finish. Kakuzu chose to ignore the three and slunk off at some point and his crude reminder about abstaining from more was immediately forgotten in his absence. She remembered sticking her tongue out at Hidan's warning, cracking open the lid and downing half the new can in one go and not much else after that.<p>

She woke sprawled across the foam mattress they'd pulled out from a storage closet the previous night. Sitting up, Sachi rubbed her eyes groggily and looked around. It had been half-dragged towards the middle of the room, chairs and tables brushed aside. For a pillow she seemed to have used Kai's chest, cause he was laying next to her, an arm tucked behind his head and the other played out across the mattress opposite her side. Curled up next to him was the snoozing Jashinist, his blonde head in the crook of Kai's arm. She grinned and stifled a laugh before groaning as a stabbing pain at the base of her head reminded her of last night's indulgence. Hidan stirred next to the bartender, but after curling into a tighter ball- returned to a more peaceful sleep.

Crawling away from the two, she eased herself up using the back of a chair leg for support. The place was a disgusting mess, cans everywhere and sticky tables from a few questionable party fouls. There were a few half empty bottles of much stronger liquor than the beers she remembered drinking. When those had been broken into was anyone's guess. She clutched her aching head and made her way to the bathroom, feeling as though she had to relieve herself of an entire night's worth of alcohol.

After washing her hands and as she splashed cool water onto her face, she heard a yelp in the other room. Rushing out to see what was wrong, she saw Hidan and Kai standing on opposite ends of the mattress. Kai red and flustered, Hidan scowling fiercely and waving his hands in the air. She covered her mouth with her hand and held back a laugh, catching the two guy's attention. Their mortified stares only made her giggle harder.

Hidan rubbed the back of his head, "Fuuck… long night, yo."

Kai brushed himself off and adjusted his rumpled top, eyeing the shinobi suspiciously. "Yes, um…" he cleared his throat and looked to Sachi, "Any clue what the time is?"

She shrugged, "I only just got up too." She ran a hand self-consciously through her mussed hair. Hidan brushed past her towards the bathroom and she laughed at how similar his rush was to hers just minutes ago. She looked back to Kai as the door slammed shut behind her, "Mind if I go make us all some coffee?"

Rubbing at his jaw he nodded mildly, "Sure, I'll come up with ya."

They trudged up the stairs together lackluster, grumbling to themselves as the bright outside light intensified their well earned headaches. Kai unlocked and shoved open the door to his apartment and they both found themselves blinking at the room for a minute. Seated with his legs crossed on the coach, cloakless but not maskless, was Kakuzu. In his lap was a small notebook and he furiously finished making several corrections before looking up to acknowledge their arrival. He grunted.

"Morning Kakuzu-san," Sachi managed a sleepy smile. Kai nodded, slipping past her and beelining for the coffee pot. Kakuzu made another noise and returned to his scribblings. She sidled up next to him on the couch, leaning as close to him as she dared to catch a glimpse of a page covered in columns and numbers. She couldn't hope to follow the mess on the page. "Whatchya workin' on?"

He snapped the notebook shut and shifted in his seat. "Budgeting."

"Oh… does it always involve so much math?"

His answer was abrupt. "When it's done right."

"Oh."

Kai almost spilt the coffee grinds across the counter, but managed to catch it at the last second. He grinned sheepishly.

"I don't… Numbers never made any sense to me really." Sachi mused, crossing her legs under her on the cushion. He glanced at her curiously. "My auntie tried to teach me once or twice, but I didn't get the hang of it ever. Do you think it's fun?"

He stared at her intensely, but she couldn't read what was going on in his electric green eyes. Luckily, since it appeared Kakuzu would never answer her question, Kai interrupted them. "Who all wants a cup? Sachi and I for sure. Will Hidan want one? Kakuzu-san?" he asked, leaning against the back of the couch and staring at the machine as it slowly spewed out the hot liquid.

Kakuzu's gaze narrowed. "That idiot doesn't need caffeine."

Sachi smirked, standing up and heading to the fridge. She threw it open, rummaging around.

"What about you then, Kakuzu-san?"

"Do you have sugar?"

"Yeah?"

"Then yes."

Kai rubbed his eyes, "What're ya looking for, Sachi-chan?"

She grinned over her shoulder, still halfway in the fridge, "How do you guys feel about banana pancakes?"

"Ah fuck yeah!" Hidan tossed the door shut behind himself as he made his entrance. "Kakuzu, man, ya didn't tell me the bitch could cook?"

"That has yet to be proven." Kakuzu shrugged, reopening his notebook and returning to whatever it was he was working on. Kai chuckled and ignored the irritable glare Sachi was sending his way. "Besides," the large shinobi continued from the couch. "We wont be staying for breakfast. There is a bounty exchange two towns over and it is already ten am. After my cup of coffee, we will head that direction. I bet we can make it in under an hour."

"Yer getting cocky old man! No way we'll make it that fast draggin' that deadweight with us." Hidan gestured in Sachi's direction, who was busy gathering ingredients for their lunch. She frowned.

Kakuzu rolled his eyes, "We're not taking her with us. We'd just have to leave her outside the whole time anyways and it wouldn't be worth it. She'd just draw attention. We'll just make the detour quickly, be back by twelve thirty and begin planning our next step. I do not like that there is shinobi loose nearby who knows we're here. We should tread lightly."

"So…" Sachi looked up from where she was halfway through measuring ingredients, "No pancakes then?"

"Make 'em." Hidan glowered in her direction, "I will eat them when I get back!"

Kakuzu snorted and went back to ignoring them.

"Hidan-san, did you want a cup?" Kai kicked off the couch and pulled three mugs from his cupboard. His hand hovered over the fourth.

"Do you have cream?"

"Yes?"

"Then pour that muthafucka!"

"Well, this will be a new experience for all of us," Kakuzu mused darkly from his spot on the couch.

Sachi helped Kai pass out their drinks with a laugh, taking hers black. "Will it really be that bad?"

"Dunno," Hidan flashed a lopsided grin, "I haven't drank this in forever, could be a shitshow."

Kakuzu scowled into his cup darkly. "I can only imagine..."

The four sat quietly, three of them arranged on the couch while Hidan lounged on the floor opposite them, looking as if he were a persian king perched upon a mountain of cushions. Not a rumpled, hungover shinobi on a grungy carpet. Each sipped their coffee gratefully, happy for some relief after a long night of drinking. And after Hidan and Kakuzu departed, Kai and Sachi took a second mug-full for themselves and greedily enjoyed the quiet.

* * *

><p>"Ah maaaan! I am so amped!" Hidan grinned as he and Kakuzu began their errand. Leaping through the trees as if it were nothing, the wind whipped at his blonde hair and he was loving it. "Let's race!" He shot ahead.<p>

Kakuzu rolled his eyes and with a grunt, propelled after him.

The two shinobi whipped through the trees at a rate few ninja could match, pushing off of each branch just as swiftly as their foot met it. And despite his having to stop more than twice for Hidan to, um, relieve himself, he still maintained a bit of a lead. And so the two made excellent time. The wrapped head bounced along inside the hidden pocket of Kakuzu's gigantic cloak and Hidan practically howled with excitement as they surged forward. It'd been awhile since he'd had a good sprint.

* * *

><p>"I can't imagine Hidan-san all coffee'd up," Sachi giggled, swirling the dark liquid around in her cup. She was sinking into the cushion, wedged into the corner facing Kai, her feet folded up on the couch in front of her. He took up the other corner, angled towards her with his leg crossed over the other.<p>

"I wouldn't have even offered if they'd been staying here…"

She grinned and nudged his knee with her foot. "Oh the things we must plan for with those two." She smiled wistfully into her cup.

"Yeah, what's the story there, Sachi-chan?" she blushed and he waved his hand dismissively, "It's okay if you don't want to, ya know, I just can't seem to work out what exactly you've got goin with those two guys…" he eyed her suspiciously, "You don't need help or anything, do ya? I mean, they may seem all tough an' scary- but I'm sure if we went to the right people-"

"No, no," she looked down at her lap, "It's not like that. They're no good for my health, I've started to notice… but not on purpose I think!" she chuckled under her breath, "But really… they seem good."

"Just checkin on ya," he glanced at her bound arm. "So how'd you end up with them?"

"Well… they kinda saved my life the other day." She thought about that for a second, "Okay… _Kakuzu-san_ saved my life the other day. But now I owe him a whole load of money, so I'm trying to pay that off at the moment."

He shot her a funny look and she reddened, speaking really fast in her embarrassment, "Not like that! Jeez… I just have to do little jobs here and there to pay it back. Anyways… I owed this guy a bit of money and he finally got fed up with it. Right son'of'a'bitch he was- should'a never borrowed from him. But he started out so easygoing, ya know? Then all the sudden… Well anyways he wasn't too pleased with me last time I saw him. But that's when those two bumped into me. And so Kakuzu bought me off him because apparently it's poor practice to kill someone who owes you money?"

"Wait- that beast _owns _you?"

"Well don't phrase it like that!" she kicked him a bit harder than necessary, flushing furiously. "Makes it sound weird. I just owe him back!" she hmpf'd into her coffee mug.

"So that's what the loud one meant about 'with'… How much do you owe 'im?"

"Lots…" she mumbled.

"And you're stuck with him till you pay him back?"

She shrugged, shrinking further into the kitchen, "I suppose… I mean, as long as I continue to pay him back I don't think it really matters…"

"How 'bout you work for me then?" he grinned brightly.

"Wait- what?"

"Yeah! My barmaid just had her baby two weeks ago- I need help around here. You could definitely take over her job!"

* * *

><p>"Hidan, you have not stopped speaking once in the last fifteen minutes."<p>

"I just feel so damn good, man, I'm on a high! My fingers are all- _twitchy_. I need ta' kill some bitch…"

"You had your fill yesterday."

"Oh come'on. You're callin' one pansy-ass my fill?" Hidan barked out a laugh, "Please. I'm feeling a slaughter comin on! Can we massacre a village today? That would really get my blood _pumpin_!"

"Not only would that be entirely unnecessary-"

"UNNECESSARY? It'd be in the service of Jashin! I owe him that much-!"

"It'd also draw unwanted attention, and Leader-sama wishes us to avoid that as much as possible."

"Bigot…"

They touched down just outside the village and strode quickly through the streets to locate the bounty office. Kakuzu lead them to it with ease. Hidan scowled at him, "Do you know _every_ one of these thrice-damned joints in the five countries?"

Kakuzu shot him a look before inhaling deeply and knocking. "Never again..." He muttered to himself.

Hidan let out a load, over exaggerated sigh before a cruel grin split his features. "Hey... we should grab another cup'a'joe after all this, yeah?"

Kakuzu squeezed his eyes shut and after a password exchange, the two shinobi entered quickly.

* * *

><p>Just around the corner from the bounty exchange point was a longhaired shinobi. Dressed as a civilian, his only true give away was the small amount of chakra extruding from his presence. He watched the two Akatsuki enter with a glint in his eye, taking careful note of the head shaped lump hidden within the larger man's cloud spotted cloak. He smirked viciously.<p>

"My apologies, Hoshi… But your sacrifice has gained us some rather tasty information…"

* * *

><p>"Come on, Kai-san," Sachi stood up from the couch and stretched. "Let's make those pancakes now. If those boy's are as fast as they say they are, I don't want to not be ready by the time they're back."<p>

Kai followed her movements. "Wait-" he stopped, halfway through placing his mug in the sink, "Why do I have to help? _You're_ the one who wanted to make breakfast?"

She stuck her tongue out at him and waved her black-bandaged hand in front of his face, "I can't very well do all of it one handed, now can I?"

"No..."

She smirked, "Now, do you want pancakes or not?"


End file.
